An alloy that retains its memory at high temperatures

Science Daily  December 3, 2019 In the conventional high-temperature shape memory alloy Ti-Ta, the formation of this phase compromises completely the shape memory effect. Addition of other elements to form Ti-Ta-X alloys often modifies the transformation temperatures. Researchers in Germany used transparent descriptors derived from first-principles calculations to search for new ternary Ti-Ta-X alloys that combine stability and high temperatures. They suggest four alloys with these properties, namely Ti-Ta-Sb, Ti-Ta-Bi, Ti-Ta-In, and Ti-Ta-Sc. Their predictions for the most promising of these alloys, Ti-Ta-Sc, are subsequently fully validated by experimental investigations showing no traces of omega phase after cycling. Their computational […]