TY - JOUR A1 - Ikeda, Yuki A1 - Yuan, R. A1 - Chakraborty, A. A1 - Ghassemi-Armaki, H. A1 - Zuo, J. M. A1 - Maaß, Robert T1 - Early stages of liquid-metal embrittlement in an advanced high-strength steel N2 - Grain-boundary degradation via liquid-metal embrittlement (LME) is a prominent and long-standing failure process in next generation advanced high-strength steels. Here we reveal, well ahead of the crack tip, the presences of nano-scale grains of intermetallic phases in Zn-infiltrated but uncracked grain boundaries with scanning- and 4D transmission electron microscopy. Instead of the often-reported Znrich Fe-Zn intermetallics, the nano-scale phase in the uncracked infiltrated grain boundaries is identified as the G-phase, and its presence reveals the local enhancement of strain heterogeneities in the grain boundary network. Based on these observations, we argue that intermetallic phase formation is not occurring after cracking and subsequent liquid Zn infiltration but is instead one of the primary nanoscopic drivers for grain-boundary weakening and crack initiation. These findings shift the focus of LME from micro- and meso-scale crack investigations to the very early stages immediately following Zn diffusion, after which secondary phase nucleation and growth emerge as the root-cause for failure. KW - Advanced high strength steels KW - Liquid metal embrittlement KW - Transmission electron microscopy KW - 4-Dimensional scanning transmission KW - electron microscopy PY - 2021 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-539716 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mtadv.2021.100196 SN - 2590-0498 VL - 13 IS - 196 SP - 1 EP - 8 PB - Elsevier Ltd. AN - OPUS4-53971 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Steinkönig, J. A1 - Bloesser, F. R. A1 - Huber, B. A1 - Welle, A. A1 - Trouillet, V. A1 - Weidner, Steffen A1 - Barner, L. A1 - Roesky, P. W. A1 - Yuan, J. A1 - Goldmann, A. S. A1 - Barner-Kowollik, C. T1 - Controlled radical polymerization and in-depth mass-spectrometric characterization of poly(ionic liquid)s and their photopatterning on surfaces N2 - The preparation and characterization of poly(ionic liquid)s (PILs) bearing a polystyrene backbone via reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization and their photolithographic patterning on silicon wafers is reported. The controlled radical polymerization of the styrenic ionic liquid (IL) monomers ([BVBIM]X, X = Cl− or Tf2N−) by RAFT polymerization is investigated in detail. We provide a general synthetic tool to access this class of PILs with controlled molecular weight and relatively narrow molecular weight distribution (2000 g mol−1 ≤ Mn ≤ 10 000 g mol−1 with dispersities between 1.4 and 1.3 for p([BVBIM]Cl); 2100 g mol−1 ≤ MP ≤ 14 000 g mol−1 for p([BVBIM]Tf2N)). More importantly, we provide an in-depth characterization of the PILs and demonstrate a detailed mass spectrometric analysis via matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) as well as – for the first time for PILs – electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS). Importantly, p([BVBIM]Cl) and p([DMVBIM]Tf2N) were photochemically patterned on silicon wafers. Therefore, a RAFT agent carrying a photoactive group based on ortho-quinodimethane chemistry – more precisely photoenol chemistry – was photochemically linked for subsequent controlled radical polymerization of [BVBIM]Cl and [DMVBIM]Tf2N. The successful spatially-resolved photografting is evidenced by surface-sensitive characterization methods such as X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS). The presented method allows for the functionalization of diverse surfaces with poly(ionic liquid)s. KW - reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization KW - polyionic liquids KW - mass spectrometry KW - surface modification PY - 2016 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-355202 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/C5PY01320H VL - 7 SP - 451 EP - 461 PB - Royal Society of Chemistry CY - Cambridge AN - OPUS4-35520 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Joseph, A. A1 - Bernardes, C. E. S. A1 - Druzhinina, A. I. A1 - Varushchenko, R. M. A1 - Nguyen, Thi Yen A1 - Emmerling, Franziska A1 - Yuan, L. A1 - Dupray, V. A1 - Coquerel, G. A1 - Minas da Piedade, M. E. T1 - Polymorphic phase transition in 4′-hydroxyacetophenone: Equilibrium temperature, kinetic barrier, and the relative stability of Z′=1 and Z′=2 forms N2 - Particularly relevant in the context of polymorphism is understanding how structural, thermodynamic, and kinetic factors dictate the stability domains of polymorphs, their tendency to interconvert through phase transitions, or their possibility to exist in metastable states. These three aspects were investigated here for two 4′-hydroxyacetophenone (HAP) polymorphs, differing in crystal system, space group, and number and conformation of molecules in the asymmetric unit. The results led to a ΔfGm°-T phase diagram highlighting the enantiotropic nature of the system and the fact that the Z′=1 polymorph is not necessarily more stable than its Z′=2 counterpart. It was also shown that the form II → form I transition is entropy driven and is likely to occur through a nucleation and growth mechanism, which does not involve intermediate phases, and is characterized by a high activation energy. Finally, although it has been noted that conflicts between hydrogen bond formation and close packing are usually behind exceptions from the hypothesis of Z′=1 forms being more stable than their higher Z′ analogues, in this case, the HAP polymorph with stronger hydrogen bonds (Z′=2) is also the one with higher density. KW - Polymorphism KW - Polymorphic transition KW - 4'-hydroxyacetophenone PY - 2017 DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.cgd.6b01876 SN - 1528-7483 SN - 1528-7505 VL - 17 IS - 4 SP - 1918 EP - 1932 PB - ACS AN - OPUS4-40167 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -