A high-strength silicide phase in a stainless steel alloy designed for wear-resistant applications.

Title A high-strength silicide phase in a stainless steel alloy designed for wear-resistant applications.
Authors Bowden, D.; Krysiak, Y.; Palatinus, L.; Tsivoulas, D.; Plana-Ruiz, S.; Sarakinou, E.; Kolb, U.; Stewart, D.; Preuss, M.
Journal Nat Commun
DOI 10.1038/s41467-018-03875-9
Abstract

Hardfacing alloys provide strong, wear-resistant and corrosion-resistant coatings for extreme environments such as those within nuclear reactors. Here, we report an ultra-high-strength Fe-Cr-Ni silicide phase, named π-ferrosilicide, within a hardfacing Fe-based alloy. Electron diffraction tomography has allowed the determination of the atomic structure of this phase. Nanohardness testing indicates that the π-ferrosilicide phase is up to 2.5 times harder than the surrounding austenite and ferrite phases. The compressive strength of the π-ferrosilicide phase is exceptionally high and does not yield despite loading in excess of 1.6 GPa. Such a high-strength silicide phase could not only provide a new type of strong, wear-resistant and corrosion-resistant Fe-based coating, replacing more costly and hazardous Co-based alloys for nuclear applications, but also lead to the development of a new class of high-performance silicide-strengthened stainless steels, no longer reliant on carbon for strengthening.

Citation Bowden, D.; Krysiak, Y.; Palatinus, L.; Tsivoulas, D.; Plana-Ruiz, S.; Sarakinou, E.; Kolb, U.; Stewart, D.; Preuss, M..A high-strength silicide phase in a stainless steel alloy designed for wear-resistant applications..

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Silicon

See more Silicon products. Silicon (atomic symbol: Si, atomic number: 14) is a Block P, Group 14, Period 3 element with an atomic weight of 28.085. Silicon Bohr MoleculeThe number of electrons in each of Silicon's shells is 2, 8, 4 and its electron configuration is [Ne] 3s2 3p2. The silicon atom has a radius of 111 pm and a Van der Waals radius of 210 pm. Silicon was discovered and first isolated by Jöns Jacob Berzelius in 1823. Silicon makes up 25.7% of the earth's crust, by weight, and is the second most abundant element, exceeded only by oxygen. The metalloid is rarely found in pure crystal form and is usually produced from the iron-silicon alloy ferrosilicon. Elemental SiliconSilica (or silicon dioxide), as sand, is a principal ingredient of glass, one of the most inexpensive of materials with excellent mechanical, optical, thermal, and electrical properties. Ultra high purity silicon can be doped with boron, gallium, phosphorus, or arsenic to produce silicon for use in transistors, solar cells, rectifiers, and other solid-state devices which are used extensively in the electronics industry.The name Silicon originates from the Latin word silex which means flint or hard stone.