Shape memory alloys are remarkable materials that open up a wide range of uses. Nitinol, an alloy of nickel and titanium, is one of the most important of these materials. Some of its major applications are in medical devices where its unique properties allow minimally invasive surgery and implants to improve quality of life for millions of people. With the growing global population and increasing numbers of people able to access quality healthcare, the availability of advanced materials such as Nitinol is essential to allow continued progress in improving lives across the world. This article will review the discovery, material properties, processing methods and medical applications of Nitinol, with a special focus on stents for the treatment of arterial diseases, which constitute one of Nitinol’s major uses.

The recent upsurge of interest in manufacturing techniques using metal powders, including additive manufacturing (AM), metal injection moulding (MIM) and hot isostatic pressing (HIP), has made methods for manufacturing alloyed metal powders especially iron-, nickel- and cobalt-based alloys, a topic of much increased importance. Drawing on 45 years of experience in the field, the author reviews the range of methods available for this purpose, their advantages and limitations and likely fields of application.

Size dependent characterisation is important for applications in nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS), nanogenerators, biosensors and other related areas at higher temperature regimes. In this paper we have computed elastic, mechanical, thermal and ultrasonic properties of zinc oxide nanowires (ZnO-NWs) of different diameters at high temperatures. The higher order elastic constants of ZnO-NWs were computed using a simple interaction potential model. The mechanical properties such as bulk modulus, Young’s modulus, shear modulus and Poisson’s ratio were determined based on the formulated elastic constants. Various ultrasonic parameters such as ultrasonic wave velocities, ultrasonic Grüneisen parameter and ultrasonic attenuation were obtained with the help of elastic constants and density. The temperature dependent ultrasonic wave velocities propagating along the length of the nanowire at different orientations were calculated using elastic constants to determine anisotropic behaviour. The diameter dependent ultrasonic losses and thermal characteristics of ZnO-NWs were also determined. The ultrasonic attenuation due to the phonon-viscosity mechanism is predominant for the total ultrasonic attenuation for ZnO-NWs. The correlation among the ultrasonic parameters, thermal conductivity and size of ZnO-NWs is established leading to potential industrial applications.

A series of iterative wear and corrosion tests were conducted on two 950 platinum alloys, two 585 white gold alloys and two 750 white gold alloys. Testing followed standardised industrial procedures in order to provide comparable and reproducible conditions. Wear testing comprised a sequence including abrasion testing, corrosion testing and polish testing. Mass loss was recorded after each test cycle. Five complete test cycles were followed by two long-term polish tests. The total testing time was ca. 250 h. A pronounced difference in the mass and volume loss between the platinum and the gold alloys was observed. The absolute volume loss per surface area of the platinum alloys was a factor of two to three times lower than that of the gold alloys. The highest volume loss was observed for 750AuPd, followed by 585AuPd, 585AuNi and 750AuNi with the latter three showing similar wear behaviours. The mass loss increased linearly with testing time. No measurable mass loss was observed by corrosion testing in our limited duration test cycle and the only alloy exhibiting significant corrosion was 585AuNi. Hardness of the alloys was determined by Vickers microhardness testing at a 100 g load. Notably, higher hardness levels were not found to be an indicator for low mass or volume loss.

For the metals used in jewellery, high hardness and the associated scratch resistance are much sought after. Conventional crystalline alloys for jewellery are alloyed and extensively processed (thermally and mechanically) to improve hardness, but it is difficult to reach values beyond 300 HV. The advent of bulk metallic glasses (BMGs), based on precious metals and with hardness exceeding 300 HV in the as-cast state, is therefore of great interest for both jewellery and watchmaking. The non-crystalline structure of these materials not only gives high hardness, but also the opportunity to shape metals like plastics, via thermoplastic forming (TPF). For more traditional jewellery manufacture, BMGs also exhibit high-definition and near-net-shape casting. Gold-based alloys have long dominated the consideration of BMGs for jewellery as they can comply with 18 karat hallmarks. Although BMGs based on platinum or palladium possess excellent thermoplastic formability and are without known tarnishing problems, achieving useful glass-forming ability (GFA) within the more restrictive hallmarking standards typically used for jewellery (≥95 wt% platinum or palladium) is at best challenging. In this two-part review, platinum- and palladium-based BMGs are discussed, focusing on their potential application in jewellery and on the further research that is necessary.

The properties and glass-forming ability (GFA) of platinum- and palladium-based bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) for jewellery were introduced in Part I of this two-part review (1). Here, we will describe methods for their processing, tarnishing and corrosion resistance and consider their prospects and future developments.

The 28th annual Santa Fe Symposium® was held from 18th–21st May 2014 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA, and attracted another large attendance of delegates from 15 countries worldwide, representing a good cross-section of those involved in jewellery manufacturing from mass manufacture to specialised craft operations. In general, many were finding the market is tougher now than a few years...

In the present investigation, TiO₂ nanostructures were synthesised via a simple sol-gel technique and characterised with X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (SEM-EDX), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM) and ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectroscopy. The temperature and concentration dependence of thermal conductivity enhancement (TCE) and ultrasonic velocity have been explored in ethylene glycol-based TiO₂ nanofluids. The obtained results showed 24% enhancement in thermal conductivity at higher temperature (80°C) of the base fluid ethylene glycol by adding 1.0 wt% of TiO₂ nanoparticles. The behaviour of TCE and ultrasonic velocity with temperature in prepared nanofluids has been explained with the help of existing phenomena. The increase in ultrasonic velocity in ethylene glycol with TiO₂ nanoparticles shows that a strong cohesive interaction force arises among the nanoparticles and base fluid. These results divulge that TiO₂ nanoparticles can be considered for applications in next-generation heat transfer in nanofluids.

Many additive manufacturing (AM) processes have been developed to fabricate lightweight metal matrix composites (LMMCs) from constituent materials. However, the improvement in mechanical properties is significantly affected by the added reinforcing materials in the LMMC compared to metallic materials and their alloys. Recent advances in understanding the selecting criteria and effect of the reinforcement, preparation methods and AM process on the properties of LMMCs are summarised in this review. The preparation methods of particle-reinforced LMMCs include ex situ and in situ synthesis. The effect of various reinforcement and AM processes such as powder bed fusion (PBF) processes and direct energy deposition (DED) processes on the mechanical properties of LMMC parts are discussed.

The supply chain for metal powders used in additive manufacturing (AM) is currently experiencing exponential growth and with this growth come new powder suppliers, new powder manufacturing methods and increased competition. The high number of potential supply chain options provides AM service providers with a significant challenge when making decisions on powder procurement. This paper provides an overview of the metal powder supply chain for the AM market and aims to give AM service providers the information necessary to make informed decisions when procuring metal powders. The procurement options are categorised into three main groups, namely: procuring powders from AM equipment suppliers, procuring powders from third party suppliers and procuring powders directly from powder atomisers. Each of the procurement options has its own unique advantages and disadvantages. The relative importance of these will depend on what the AM equipment is being used for, for example research, rapid prototyping or productionisation. The future of the metal AM powder market is also discussed.

Interfaces are a type of extended defect which govern the properties of materials. As the nanostructuring of materials becomes more prevalent the impact of interfaces such as grain boundaries (GBs) becomes more important. Computational modelling of GBs is vital to the improvement of our understanding of these defects as it allows us to isolate specific structures and understand resulting properties. The first step to accurately modelling GBs is to generate accurate descriptions of the structures. In this paper, we present low angle mirror tilt GB structures for fluorite structured materials (calcium fluoride and ceria). We compare specific GB structures which are generated computationally to experimentally known structures, wherein we see excellent agreement. The high accuracy of the method which we present for predicting these structures can be used in the future to predict interfaces which have not already been experimentally identified and can also be applied to heterointerfaces.

The propagation of ultrasonic waves in the hexagonal closed packed (hcp) structured lanthanide metal titanium has been investigated in the temperature range 300–1000 K. For this, initially the higher-order elastic constants (second-order elastic constants (SOECs) and third-order elastic constants (TOECs)) were computed using the Lennard-Jones interaction potential model. With the help of SOECs, other elastic moduli such as Young’s modulus (Y ), bulk modulus (B ), shear modulus (G ), Poisson’s ratio (σ) and Pugh’s ratio (B/G ) were computed using the Voigt-Reuss-Hill approximation. Three types of orientation-dependent ultrasonic velocities, including Debye average velocities, were evaluated using the calculated SOECs and density of titanium in the same temperature range. Thermophysical properties such as lattice thermal conductivity, thermal relaxation time, thermal energy density, specific heat at constant volume and acoustic coupling constant were evaluated under the same physical conditions. The ultrasonic attenuation due to phonon-phonon interaction is most significant under the chosen physical conditions. The ultrasonic properties of titanium are correlated with thermophysical properties to understand the microstructural features and nature of the material.