Hydrogen embrittlement (HE) is a broadly recognized phenomenon in metallic materials. If not well understood and managed, HE may lead to catastrophic environmental failures in vessels containing hydrogen, such as pipelines and storage tanks. HE can affect the mechanical properties of materials such as ductility, toughness, and strength, mainly through the interaction between metal defects and hydrogen. Various phenomena such as hydrogen adsorption, hydrogen diffusion, and hydrogen interactions with intrinsic trapping sites like dislocations, voids, grain boundaries, and oxide/matrix interfaces are involved in this process. It is important to understand HE mechanisms to develop effective hydrogen resistant strategies. Tensile, double cantilever beam, bent beam, and fatigue tests are among the most common techniques employed to study HE. This article reviews hydrogen diffusion behavior, mechanisms, and characterization techniques.

Aluminum matrix composites (AMCs) find extensive use across diverse industries such as automotive, aerospace, marine, and electronics, owing to their remarkable strength-to-weight ratio, corrosion resistance, and mechanical properties. However, their limited wear resistance poses a challenge for applications requiring high tribological performance. Abrasive wear emerges as the predominant form of wear encountered by AMCs in various industrial settings, prompting significant research efforts aimed at enhancing their wear resistance. Over the past decades, extensive research has investigated the influence of various reinforcements on the abrasive wear behavior of AMCs. This paper presents a comprehensive review of the impact of different variables on the wear and tribological response of aluminum composites. This review explores possible wear mechanisms across various tribosystems, providing examples drawn from the analysis of existing literature. Through detailed discussions on the effects of each variable, conclusions are drawn to offer insights into optimizing the wear performance of AMCs.

Ferrous alloys, particularly steels, form a specialized class of metallic materials extensively employed in industrial sectors to combat deterioration and failures caused by wear. Despite their commendable mechanical properties, steels are not immune to wear-induced degradation. In this context, surface nanocrystallization (SNC) technologies have carved a distinct niche for themselves by enabling the nanostructuring of the surface layer (with grain sizes < 100 nm). This process enhances overall mechanical properties to a level desirable for wear resistance while preserving the chemical composition. Existing literature has consistently highlighted the efficacy of various SNC methods in improving the wear resistance of ferrous alloys, positioning SNC as a promising tool to extend materials’ service life in practical applications. This review provides a comprehensive examination of the SNC techniques employed in surface treatment of ferrous alloys and their impact on wear behavior. We delved into the underlying mechanisms governing wear in SNC-treated Fe-based alloys and concluded with a discussion on current challenges and future perspectives in this evolving field.

Dispersion of 2D carbon nitride (C₃N₄) nanosheets into a nickel phosphorous (NiP) matrix was successfully achieved by ultrasonication during the electroless plating of NiP from an acidic bath. The morphology and thickness, elemental analysis, phases, roughness, and wettability for as-plated and heat-treated nanocomposite were determined by scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy, and contact angle measurements, respectively. C₃N₄ showed a homogeneous distribution morphology in the nanocomposite that changed from amorphous in case of the NiP to a mixed crystalline-amorphous structure in the NiP-C₃N₄ nanocomposite. The microhardness and corrosion resistance of the as-plated nanocomposite and the heat-treated nanocomposite coating were significantly enhanced compared to the Ni-P. The nanocomposite showed a superior corrosion protection efficiency of ~95%, as observed from the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurements. On the other hand, the microhardness of the nanocomposite was significantly increased from 780 to reach 1175 HV₂₀₀ for NiP and NiP-C₃N₄, respectively.