Oxide dispersion-strengthened (ODS) alloys are regarded as one of the most promising materials for Generation IV nuclear fission systems, owing to their exceptional attributes such as high strength, corrosion resistance, and irradiation tolerance. The traditional methods for fabricating oxide dispersion-strengthened (ODS) alloys are both time-consuming and costly. In contrast, additive manufacturing (AM) technologies enable precise control over material composition and geometric structure at the nanoscale, thereby enhancing the mechanical properties of components while reducing their weight. This novel approach offers significant advantages over conventional techniques, including reduced production costs, improved manufacturing efficiency, and more uniform distribution of oxide nanoparticles. This review begins by summarizing the state of the art in Fe-based and Ni-based ODS alloys fabricated via traditional routes. Subsequently, it examines recent progress in the AM of ODS alloys, including Fe-based, Ni-based, high-entropy alloys, and medium-entropy alloys, using powder bed fusion (PBF), directed energy deposition (DED), and wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM). The microstructural characteristics, including oxide particle distribution, grain morphology, and alloy properties, are discussed in the context of different AM processes. Finally, critical challenges and future research directions for laser-based AM of ODS alloys are highlighted.

Laser melting deposition (LMD) was employed to fabricate 5.0 wt.% TiC-reinforced 316L composite coatings, and the role of laser power in governing microstructure evolution and performance was systematically investigated. Particular emphasis was placed on the laser-power-dependent evolution mechanism of TiC, covering the coexistence of retained undissolved TiC and fine reprecipitated nanoscale TiC phases; critically, this work clarifies their combined regulating effects on hardness, wear, and corrosion behavior, advancing the understanding of structure-property correlation for LMD 316L/TiC composites. The results show that increasing laser power markedly altered melt-pool dynamics, particle dissolution, and interfacial heterogeneity, thereby regulating the process–microstructure–property relationship of the coatings. Owing to the synergistic effects of residual TiC reinforcement, fine-particle dispersion, and microstructural refinement, the P14 and P16 coatings exhibited the highest hardness, reaching ~320–330 HV. However, the best wear resistance was achieved at moderate laser power, indicating that excessive hardening did not necessarily lead to optimal tribological performance because of increased local heterogeneity and particle detachment tendency. Electrochemical results further revealed that corrosion resistance was jointly controlled by passive-film stability and particle/matrix interfacial activation. Among all samples, P12 showed the most favorable overall corrosion performance, reflecting an optimized balance between microstructural uniformity and interfacial stability. These findings demonstrate that appropriate laser power is critical for simultaneously optimizing strengthening and corrosion resistance in the LMD-fabricated 316L/TiC composite.

This study investigates the impact of laser cladding process parameters on the forming quality of single-pass, multi-track Stellite 12 alloy coatings on WC9 steel surfaces. Using a Central Composite Design (CCD), mathematical predictive models for cladding efficiency and cladding angle were developed by varying the input process parameters, including laser power, scanning speed, powder feed rate, and overlap ratio. The interactive effects of process parameters on the selected response variables were analyzed. The results indicate that cladding efficiency is most significantly governed by the powder feed rate, and a higher efficiency can be achieved by concurrently increasing both the laser power and powder feed rate. Regarding the cladding angle, the scanning speed plays a dominant role, where appropriately increasing the scanning speed effectively increases the cladding angle by mitigating local mass accumulation. Afterwards, an optimal combination of process parameters was obtained through multi-objective optimization aimed at maximizing both the cladding efficiency and the cladding angle. Experimental validation using the optimized parameters yielded a coating with satisfactory forming quality, with relative errors between the predicted and experimental values for cladding efficiency and cladding angle being 7.22% and 8.81%, respectively. This work provides valuable theoretical guidance for the prediction and control of cladding efficiency and cladding angle of multi-track laser-clad Stellite 12 coatings on WC9 steel surfaces.