In this paper, we investigate the structural, microstructural, dielectric, and energy storage properties of Nd and Mn co-doped Ba_0.7Sr_0.3TiO₃ [(Ba_0.7Sr_0.3)_1−xNd_xTi_1−yMn_yO₃ (BSNTM) ceramics (x = 0, 0.005, and y = 0, 0.0025, 0.005, and 0.01)] via a defect dipole engineering method. The complex defect dipoles ${(Mn}_{Ti}^{”}-V_O^{\bullet \bullet }{)}^{\bullet }$ and ${(Mn}_{Ti}^{”}-V_O^{\bullet \bullet })$ between acceptor ions and oxygen vacancies capture electrons, enhancing the breakdown electric field and energy storage performances. XRD, Raman, spectroscopy, XPS, and microscopic investigations of BSNTM ceramics revealed the formation of a tetragonal phase, oxygen vacancies, and a reduction in grain size with Mn dopant. The BSNTM ceramics with x = 0.005 and y = 0 exhibit a relative dielectric constant of 2058 and a loss tangent of 0.026 at 1 kHz. These values gradually decreased to 1876 and 0.019 for x = 0.005 and y = 0.01 due to the Mn²⁺ ions at the Ti⁴⁺- site, which facilitates the formation of oxygen vacancies, and prevents a decrease in Ti⁴⁺. In addition, the defect dipoles act as a driving force for depolarization to tailor the domain formation energy and domain wall energy, which provides a high difference between the maximum polarization of P_max and remnant polarization of P_r (ΔP = 10.39 µC/cm²). Moreover, the complex defect dipoles with optimum oxygen vacancies in BSNTM ceramics can provide not only a high ΔP but also reduce grain size, which together improve the breakdown strength from 60.4 to 110.6 kV/cm, giving rise to a high energy storage density of 0.41 J/cm³ and high efficiency of 84.6% for x = 0.005 and y = 0.01. These findings demonstrate that defect dipole engineering is an effective method to enhance the energy storage performance of dielectrics for capacitor applications.

The effects of C-substitution for part of the N content, on the pitting corrosion resistance and repassivation tendencies of duplex stainless steels (DSSs) were investigated. For this investigation, normal UNS S32205 containing N only (DSS-N) and the C-substituted DSS (DSS-NC) were fabricated. Microstructural analyses confirmed that the two DSSs had dual-phase microstructures without precipitates, and they possessed similar initial microstructure, including their grain sizes and phase fractions. Polarization and immersion tests performed in concentrated chloride solutions revealed that the DSS-NC was more resistant against stable pitting corrosion and possessed a higher repassivation tendency than the DSS-N. Furthermore, the corrosion pits initiated and propagated to a less corrosion resistant α phase. Polarization tests and corrosion depth measurements conducted in an HCl solution indicated that the DSS-NC exhibited lower galvanic corrosion rate between the α and γ phases than the DSS-N. Therefore, the growth rate of pit embryo was lowered in the DSS-NC, which shifted the potentials for the stable pit initiation and the pit extinction to the higher values.

On newly developed Fe_balance-18Cr-7Mn-3Mo-3W-0.4N-(0.03, 0.57)Ni (in wt%) lean duplex stainless steels, the microstructure, element partitioning behavior, and resistance to pitting corrosion were investigated. After solution treatments, the two alloys were found to have similar microstructures in terms of phase fraction and grain size, and have a precipitation-free matrix. The polarization tests revealed that the addition of Ni was beneficial to improve the resistance to pitting corrosion, which was confirmed by the rise in pitting and repassivation potentials. The uniform corrosion behavior and galvanic corrosion rate of the matrix were investigated to explain the improved pitting corrosion resistance of the Ni-added lean duplex stainless steel. As a result, it was found that the addition of Ni enhanced the resistance to uniform corrosion by reducing the galvanic corrosion rate between the ferrite and austenite phases in the lean duplex stainless steel; thus, the pit growth rate was decreased, leading to improvement of the resistance to pitting corrosion.

Al-Si alloy, known for its excellent corrosion resistance and high strength, is utilized across various industries, such as electric vehicles, requiring light metal parts for efficiency. Heat treatment is an effective process for enhancing the performance of Al-Si alloys by controlling the microstructure and precipitation. Optimized heat treatment improves the mechanical properties of Al-Si alloy, including strength, hardness, and corrosion resistance. In this study, the effect of heat treatment on the microstructure, corrosion resistance, and hardness of A356 casting alloy, which has recently been used in electric vehicles, was analyzed. The as-cast A356 alloy was used as a control sample, with a solid solution treatment, followed by aging treatment. The results showed that the hardness and corrosion resistance of A356 alloy can be changed by controlling the formation and distribution of Mg₂Si precipitates within the microstructure through the solution heat treatment and following aging. Additionally, the distribution and strengthening mechanism of Mg₂Si precipitates were examined using XRD. With increasing aging time, more Mg₂Si precipitates were formed, increasing hardness. However, the precipitation of Mg₂Si reduces the corrosion resistance of A356 alloy. Thus, it was revealed that the heat treatment of A356 alloy for enhancing mechanical properties by precipitating Mg₂Si causes a side effect of corrosion resistance.

A piezoelectric composite containing the ferroelectric polar (Bi(Na_0.8K_0.2)_0.5TiO₃: f-BNKT) and the non-polar (0.94Bi(Na_0.75K_0.25)_0.5TiO₃–0.06BiAlO₃: BNKT–BA) phases exhibits synergetic properties which combine the beneficial aspects of each phase, i.e., the high saturated polarization (P_s) of the polar phase and the low coercive field (E_c) of the non-polar phase. To understand the origin of such a fruitful outcome from this type of polar/non-polar heterophase structure, comprehensive studies are conducted, including transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and finite element method (FEM) analyses. The TEM results show that the polar/non-polar composite has a core/shell structure in which the polar phase (core) is surrounded by a non-polar phase (shell). In situ electrical biasing TEM experiments visualize that the ferroelectric domains in the polar core are aligned even under an electric field of ∼1 kV mm⁻¹, which is much lower than its intrinsic coercive field (∼3 kV mm⁻¹). From the FEM analyses, we can find that the enhanced polarization of the polar phase is promoted by an additional internal field at the phase boundary which originates from the preferential polarization of the relaxor-like non-polar phase. From the present study, we conclude that the coherent interface between polar and non-polar phases is a key factor for understanding the enhanced piezoelectric properties of the composite.