TY - JOUR A1 - Darvishi Kamachali, Reza A1 - Wallis, Theophilus A1 - Ikeda, Yuki A1 - Saikia, U. A1 - Ahmadian, A. A1 - Liebscher, C. A1 - Hickel, Tilmann A1 - Maaß, Robert T1 - Giant segregation transition as origin of liquid metal embrittlement in the Fe-Zn system N2 - A giant Zn segregation transition is revealed using CALPHAD-integrated density-based modeling of segregation into Fe grain boundaries (GBs). The results show that above a threshold of only a few atomic percent Zn in the alloy, a substantial amount of up to 60 at.% Zn can segregate to the GB. We found that the amount of segregation abruptly increases with decreasing temperature, while the Zn content in the alloy required for triggering the segregation transition decreases. Direct evidence of the Zn segregation transition is obtained using high-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy. Base on the model, we trace the origin of the segregation transition back to the low cohesive energy of Zn and a miscibility gap in Fe-Zn GB, arising from the magnetic ordering effect, which is confirmed by ab-initio calculations. We also show that the massive Zn segregation resulting from the segregation transition greatly assists with liquid wetting and reduces the work of separation along the GB. The current predictions suggest that control over Zn segregation, by both alloy design and optimizing the galvanization and welding processes, may offer preventive strategies against liquid metal embrittlement. KW - CALPHAD KW - Microstructure Design KW - Grain boundary engineering KW - Steels KW - Density-based Model KW - Segregation Engineering PY - 2024 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-584292 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scriptamat.2023.115758 SN - 1359-6462 SN - 1872-8456 VL - 238 SP - 1 EP - 5 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam AN - OPUS4-58429 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Sreekala, L. A1 - Dey, P. A1 - Hickel, Tilmann A1 - Neugebauer, J. T1 - Unveiling nonmonotonic chemical trends in the solubility of H in complex Fe-Cr-Mn carbides by means of ab initio based approaches N2 - The microstructure of advanced high-strength steels often shows a sensitive dependence on alloying. For example, adding Cr to improve the corrosion resistance of medium-Mn steels also enhances the precipitation of carbides. The current study focuses on the behavior of H in such complex multicomponent carbides by employing different methodological strategies. We systematically analyze the impact of Cr, Mn, and Fe using density functional theory (DFT) for two prototype precipitate phases, M3C and M23C6, where M represents the metal sublattice. Our results show that the addition of these alloying elements yields strong nonmonotonic chemical trends for the H solubility. We identify magnetovolume effects as the origin for this behavior, which depend on the considered system, the sites occupied by H, and short- vs long-range interactions between H and the alloying elements. We further show that the H solubility is directly correlated with the occupation of its nearest-neighbor shells by Cr and Mn. Based on these insights, DFT data from H containing binary-metal carbides are used to design a ridge regression based model that predicts the solubility of H in the ternary-metal carbides (Fe-Cr-Mn-C). KW - Hydrogen KW - High-strength steel KW - Carbide KW - Ab initio KW - Complexity PY - 2022 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-542271 DO - https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevMaterials.6.014403 SN - 2475-9953 VL - 6 IS - 1 SP - 1 EP - 14 PB - American Physical Society (APS) CY - College Park, MD AN - OPUS4-54227 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Chakraborty, P. A1 - Mouton, I. A1 - Gault, B. A1 - Tehranchi, Ali A1 - Neugebauer, J. A1 - Hickel, Tilmann T1 - Effect of Sn on stacking fault energies in zirconium and its hydrides N2 - Hydrogen embrittlement in Zr-alloy fuel cladding is a primary safety concern for water-based nuclear reactors. Here we investigated the stabilization of planar defects within the forming hydrides by Sn, the primary alloying element of Zircaloy-4 used in the cladding. In order to explain the formation of hydrides and planar defects observed in our experiments, we performed atomic-scale ab initio calculations focusing on the solute interactions with generalized stacking faults in hcp 𝛼-Zr and fcc zirconium hydrides. Our calculations showed that an increase in Sn concentration leads to a stabilization of stacking faults in both the 𝛼-Zr and hydride phases. However, the solution enthalpy of Sn is lower in the 𝛼-Zr as compared to the other hydride phases, indicative of two competing processes of Sn depletion/enrichment at the Zr hydride/matrix interface. This is corroborated by experimental findings, where Sn is less soluble in hydrides and is mostly found trapped at interfaces and planar defects, indicative of stacking faults inside the hydride phases. Our systematic investigation enables us to understand the presence and distribution of solutes in the hydride phases, which provides a deeper insight into the microstructural evolution of such alloy's properties during its service lifetime. KW - Defects KW - First-principles calculations KW - Interface and surface thermodynamics KW - Microstructure KW - Hydrides KW - Structural properties PY - 2024 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-618044 DO - https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevMaterials.8.033605 SN - 2475-9953 VL - 8 IS - 3 SP - 1 EP - 9 PB - APS AN - OPUS4-61804 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Hickel, Tilmann A1 - Divinski, S. A1 - Starikov, S. A1 - Soisson, F. A1 - Mény, C. A1 - Hegde, O. A1 - Gerlitz, M. A1 - Magnifouet, G. A1 - Schneider, A. A1 - Barreteau, C. A1 - Mirebeau, I. A1 - Tran, V.T. A1 - Förster, G. A1 - Front, A. A1 - Egorov, A. A1 - Wilde, G. A1 - Amara, H. A1 - Hammerschmidt, T. A1 - Mrovec, M. A1 - Pierron-Bohnes, V. A1 - Drautz, R. A1 - Fu, C. T1 - Magnetism in iron alloys: methodological advances for thermodynamics, defects, and kinetics N2 - Steels are among the technologically and economically most relevant materials. Key innovations in important sectors of human society such as mobility, energy and safety, are currently based on alloying of Fe with other transition-metal elements such as Mn, Cr, or Co. Due to strong impacts and conceptual challenges related to magnetism, however, the fundamental understanding and the ability to computationally design these steels in high-throughput approaches lags behind other classes of alloys. In this article, we will provide a substantial review of the role of magnetism, magnetic excitations and transformations for alloy thermodynamics, point defects, interfaces and kinetics. This will be achieved by combining insights from different methods: Ab initio simulations have the advantage that the magnetic ground state is intrinsic part of the electronic minimization. Due to the coarsening of the many-electron structures and therewith magnetic interactions, tight-binding methods can handle larger system sizes. Effective interaction models provide the freedom to exploit more sophisticated magnetic interactions. The performance of these methods in terms of magnetic properties of Fe alloys will be evaluated by providing state-of-the-art results for their sensitivity to magnetism. Furthermore, dedicated experiments will be discussed to complete the understanding of magnetic effects in Fe alloys and to validate the modeling strategy. KW - Magnetic excitations KW - Defects KW - Diffusion KW - Density functional theory KW - Tight-binding KW - Effective interaction models PY - 2025 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-634530 DO - https://doi.org/10.1515/ijmr-2023-0225 SN - 1862-5282 VL - 60 IS - 99 SP - 1 EP - 14761 PB - Walter de Gruyter GmbH AN - OPUS4-63453 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Ávila Calderón, Luis A1 - Shakeel, Y. A1 - Gedsun, A. A1 - Forti, M. A1 - Hunke, S. A1 - Han, Ying A1 - Hammerschmidt, T. A1 - Aversa, R. A1 - Olbricht, Jürgen A1 - Chmielowski, M. A1 - Stotzka, R. A1 - Bitzek, E. A1 - Hickel, Tilmann A1 - Skrotzki, Birgit T1 - Management of reference data in materials science and engineering exemplified for creep data of a single-crystalline Ni-based superalloy N2 - The identification of process-structure-property relationships of materials inevitably requires the combination of research data from different measurements. Therefore, the concepts related to FAIR (findable, accessible, interoperable, reusable) data handling, increasingly reported in literature, are particularly important in the materials science and engineering domain. However, they have not yet been integrated into a single, overarching methodological framework, particularly for reference data. Here, we introduce such a framework. Our concept covers data generation, documentation, handling, storage, sharing, data search and discovery, retrieval, and usage. Furthermore, we prototypically implement it using a real dataset with creep data of a single-crystal CMSX-6 Ni-based superalloy. The presented implementation is traceable and permanently accessible through open repositories. The individual elements considered in the framework ensure the functionality and usability of the data and, thus, the adherence to the FAIR principles. In conjunction with this, we present a definition for reference data of materials. Our definition underlines particularly the importance of a comprehensive documentation, e.g., on material provenance, data processing procedures, and the software and hardware used, including software-specific input parameters, as these details enable data users or independent parties to assess the quality of the datasets and to reuse and reproduce the results. Reference data that is managed according to the proposed framework can be used to advance knowledge in the materials science and engineering domain, e.g., by identifying new process-structure-property relations. KW - Referenzdaten KW - NFDI-MatWerk KW - Data schema KW - Research Data Management KW - Reference Data PY - 2025 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-625047 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actamat.2025.120735 VL - 286 SP - 1 EP - 15 PB - Elsevier Inc. AN - OPUS4-62504 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Mai, H. L. A1 - Cui, X.-Y, A1 - Hickel, Tilmann A1 - Neugebauer, J. A1 - Ringer, S. P. T1 - A high-throughput ab initio study of elemental segregation and cohesion at ferritic-iron grain boundaries N2 - Segregation of alloying elements and impurities at grain boundaries (GBs) critically influences material behaviour by affecting cohesion. In this study, we present an ab initio high-throughput evaluation of segregation energies and cohesive effects for all elements up to Z=92 in the periodic table (Z = 1–92, H–U) across the substitutional sites in six model ferritic iron GBs using density functional theory (DFT). From these data, we construct comprehensive elemental maps for solute segregation tendencies and cohesion at GBs, providing guidance for segregation engineering. We systematically assess the cohesive effects of different elements in all segregating positions along multiple fracture paths with a quantum-chemistry bond-order method as well as a modified Rice–Thomson–Wang theory of interfacial cohesion. The effects of segregants on the cohesion of GBs are shown to vary drastically as a function of site character, and hence their induced cohesive effects must be considered as a thermodynamic average over the spectral energy distribution. Thus, models that overlook these aspects may fail to accurately predict the impacts of varying alloying concentrations, thermal processing conditions, or GB types. The insights presented here, along with our accompanying dataset, are expected to advance our understanding of GB segregation in steels and other materials. KW - Defects PY - 2025 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-638397 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actamat.2025.121288 SN - 1359-6454 VL - 297 SP - 1 EP - 16 PB - Elsevier Inc. AN - OPUS4-63839 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Janssen, Jan A1 - George, Janine A1 - Geiger, Julian A1 - Bercx, Marnik A1 - Wang, Xing A1 - Ertural, Christina A1 - Schaarschmidt, Jörg A1 - Ganose, Alexander Miguel A1 - Pizzi, Giovanni A1 - Hickel, Tilmann A1 - Neugebauer, Jörg T1 - A Python workflow definition for computational materials design N2 - Numerous Workflow Management Systems (WfMS) have been developed in the field of computational materials science with different workflow formats, hindering interoperability and reproducibility of workflows in the field. To address this challenge, we introduce here the Python Workflow Definition (PWD) as a workflow exchange format to share workflows between Python-based WfMS, currently AiiDA, jobflow, and pyiron. This development is motivated by the similarity of these three Python-based WfMS, that represent the different workflow steps and data transferred between them as nodes and edges in a graph. With the PWD, we aim at fostering the interoperability and reproducibility between the different WfMS in the context of Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable (FAIR) workflows. To separate the scientific from the technical complexity, the PWD consists of three components: (1) a conda environment that specifies the software dependencies, (2) a Python module that contains the Python functions represented as nodes in the workflow graph, and (3) a workflow graph stored in the JavaScript Object Notation (JSON). The first version of the PWD supports directed acyclic graph (DAG)-based workflows. Thus, any DAG-based workflow defined in one of the three WfMS can be exported to the PWD and afterwards imported from the PWD to one of the other WfMS. After the import, the input parameters of the workflow can be adjusted and computing resources can be assigned to the workflow, before it is executed with the selected WfMS. This import from and export to the PWD is enabled by the PWD Python library that implements the PWD in AiiDA, jobflow, and pyiron. KW - Worklows KW - FAIR Workflows KW - Automation KW - Materials Acceleration Platforms PY - 2025 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-643325 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/D5DD00231A SN - 2635-098X SP - 1 EP - 14 PB - Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) AN - OPUS4-64332 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Roters, F. A1 - Aslam, A. A1 - Bai, Y. A1 - Büschelberger, M. A1 - Bulert, K. A1 - Butz, A. A1 - Hickel, Tilmann A1 - Jogi, T. A1 - Klitschke, S. A1 - Martin, M. A1 - Meyer, L.-P. A1 - Morand, L. A1 - Nahshon, Y. A1 - Radtke, N. A1 - Saikia, Ujjal A1 - Trondl, A. A1 - Wessel, A. A1 - Zierep, P. A1 - Helm, D. T1 - StahlDigital: Ontology-Based Workflows for the Steel Industry N2 - The innovative strength of the steel industry is based on the mastery of microstructure–property relationships. Digital workflows can largely contribute to this aim by making the complexity of workflows reproducible and their execution user independent. In this work, the tools and workflows developed in the project StahlDigital as part of the German MaterialDigital initiative are presented and application examples are provided. A steel ontology builds the foundation for data collection and storage as well as for the semantic description of experimental and simulation data processing workflows. A dataspace powered by the Dataspace Management System (DSMS) digitally represents such workflows and manages data along them in a Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable manner aiming to derive new knowledge. Experimental data processed via DSMS can be further evaluated and used as input for simulation workflows. The simulations included in such workflows are run by the workflow system pyiron, which has been semantically extended in StahlDigital for this purpose. KW - Steel KW - Rolling KW - Multiscale simulation KW - Ontology KW - Workflow PY - 2025 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-627187 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/adem.202402148 SN - 1527-2648 SP - 1 EP - 13 PB - Wiley VHC-Verlag AN - OPUS4-62718 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Zhou, Xuyang A1 - Kumar, Sourabh A1 - Chen, Xinren A1 - Gault, Baptiste A1 - Dehm, Gerhard A1 - Hickel, Tilmann A1 - Raabe, Dierk T1 - Grain Boundary Transformation Induced by Boron Segregation N2 - Boron enhances the hardenability of low-alloyed steel and reduces embrittlement at low temperatures, at parts-per-million concentration levels. Ist effectiveness arises from segregation to grain boundaries (GBs)-planar defects- between crystals-yet atomic-scale evidence remains limited.We addressed this gap by synthesizing GBs with controllable geometry and orientation, enabling reproducible comparison with and without boron segregation. Differential phase-contrast imaging directly reveals boron at iron GBs, and in-situ TEM heating (20 °C to 800 °C) allows us to track the dynamic evolution of GB structures. We found that boron segregation induces local structural changes and triggers GB phase transformations, as corroborated by calculated GB defect phase diagrams spanning broad ranges of carbon and boron content. Our findings not only bridge a gap in understanding the interplay between GB structure and chemistry but also lay the groundwork for targeted design and passivation strategies in steel, potentially transforming its resistance to hydrogen embrittlement, corrosion, and mechanical failure. KW - Steel KW - Defect Phases KW - Grain Boundary PY - 2025 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-655812 DO - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-62264-1 VL - 16 SP - 1 EP - 14 PB - Nature Communications AN - OPUS4-65581 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Roy, Arkendu A1 - Kumar, Sourabh A1 - de Oliveira Guilherme Buzanich, Ana A1 - Prinz, Carsten A1 - Götz, Emilia A1 - Retzmann, Anika A1 - Hickel, Tilmann A1 - Bhattacharya, Biswajit A1 - Emmerling, Franziska T1 - Synergistic Catalytic Sites in High‐Entropy Metal Hydroxide Organic Framework for Oxygen Evolution Reaction N2 - AbstractThe integration of multiple elements in a high‐entropy state is crucial in the design of high‐performance, durable electrocatalysts. High‐entropy metal hydroxide organic frameworks (HE‐MHOFs) are synthesized under mild solvothermal conditions. This novel crystalline metal–organic framework (MOF) features a random, homogeneous distribution of cations within high‐entropy hydroxide layers. HE‐MHOF exhibits excellent electrocatalytic performance for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), reaching a current density of 100 mA cm−2 at ≈1.64 VRHE, and demonstrates remarkable durability, maintaining a current density of 10 mA cm−2 for over 100 h. Notably, HE‐MHOF outperforms precious metal‐based electrocatalysts despite containing only ≈60% OER active metals. Ab initio calculations and operando X‐ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) demonstrate that the high‐entropy catalyst contains active sites that facilitate a multifaceted OER mechanism. This study highlights the benefits of high‐entropy MOFs in developing noble metal‐free electrocatalysts, reducing reliance on precious metals, lowering metal loading (especially for Ni, Co, and Mn), and ultimately reducing costs for sustainable water electrolysis technologies. KW - Electrocatalysis KW - Green Hydrogen PY - 2024 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202408114 SP - 1 EP - 14 PB - Wiley AN - OPUS4-61739 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Hickel, Tilmann A1 - Waske, Anja A1 - Tehranchi, Ali A1 - Bhattacharya, Biswajit A1 - Stawski, Tomasz M. A1 - Fellinger, Tim-Patrick A1 - Mehmood, Asad A1 - Witt, Julia A1 - Ozcan, Ozlem A1 - Guilherme Buzanich, Ana A1 - Kumar, Sourabh A1 - Mishra, Rajesh Kumar A1 - Holzer, Marco A1 - Stucchi de Camargo, Andrea Simone A1 - Agudo Jácome, Leonardo A1 - Manzoni, Anna A1 - Fantin, Andrea A1 - John, Elisabeth A1 - Hodoroaba, Vasile-Dan A1 - Bührig, Sophia A1 - Murugan, Jegatheesan A1 - Marschall, Niklas A1 - George, Janine A1 - Darvishi Kamachali, Reza A1 - Maaß, Robert A1 - Emmerling, Franziska T1 - Chemically complex materials enable sustainable high-performance materials N2 - Chemically complex materials (CCMats) 􀀀 including high-entropy alloys, oxides, and related multi-principal element systems 􀀀 offer a paradigm shift in materials design by leveraging chemical diversity to simultaneously optimize functional, structural, and sustainability criteria. The vastness of the compositional and structural space in CCMats propels the field into an expanding exploratory state. To reconcile functional and structural performance across this immense parameter space remains an open challenge. This Perspective evaluates the opportunities and challenges associated with harnessing chemical complexity across a broad spectrum of applications, such as hydrogen storage, ionic conductors, catalysis, magnetics, dielectrics, semiconductors, optical materials, and multifunctional structural systems. It is delineated how three central design strategies: targeted substitution (SUB), defect engineering (DEF), and diversity management (DIV) enable the reconciliation of high functional performance with long-term structural stability and environmental responsibility. Advances in computational thermodynamics, microstructure simulations, machine learning, and multimodal characterization are accelerating the exploration and optimization of CCMats, while robust data infrastructures and automated synthesis workflows are emerging as essential tools for navigating their complex compositional space. By fostering cross-disciplinary knowledge transfer and embracing data-driven design, CCMats are poised to deliver next-generation materials solutions that address urgent technological, energy, and environmental demands. KW - Chemically complex materials KW - Structural stability KW - Functional performance KW - Design strategies KW - Sustainability PY - 2026 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-655598 UR - https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1359028626000033?via%3Dihub DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cossms.2026.101256 SN - 1359-0286 VL - 42 SP - 1 EP - 26 PB - Elsevier Ltd. CY - Amsterdam AN - OPUS4-65559 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -