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金属学报  2026, Vol. 62 Issue (9): 1478-1486    DOI: 10.11900/0412.1961.2025.00398
  研究论文 本期目录 | 过刊浏览 |
Nb4AlC3MAX 相单晶纳米线断面自修复原位定量研究
崔俊峰1, 胡晓飞2, 陈国新2, 李友兵3, 柯培玲2(), 赵宏伟1()
1 中国矿业大学 材料与物理学院 徐州 221116
2 中国科学院宁波材料技术与工程研究所 公共技术中心 宁波 315201
3 苏州大学 苏州医学院放射医学与防护学院 苏州 215123
In Situ Quantification of Fracture Surface Self-Healing in Monocrystalline Nb4AlC3MAX Phase Nanowires
CUI Junfeng1, HU Xiaofei2, CHEN Guoxin2, LI Youbing3, KE Peiling2(), ZHAO Hongwei1()
1 School of Materials Science and Physics, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221116, China
2 Public Technology Center, Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo 315201, China
3 School of Radiation Medicine and Protection, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China
引用本文:

崔俊峰, 胡晓飞, 陈国新, 李友兵, 柯培玲, 赵宏伟. Nb4AlC3MAX 相单晶纳米线断面自修复原位定量研究[J]. 金属学报, 2026, 62(9): 1478-1486.
Junfeng CUI, Xiaofei HU, Guoxin CHEN, Youbing LI, Peiling KE, Hongwei ZHAO. In Situ Quantification of Fracture Surface Self-Healing in Monocrystalline Nb4AlC3MAX Phase Nanowires[J]. Acta Metall Sin, 2026, 62(9): 1478-1486.

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摘要: 

研发高强度、耐高温、抗辐照的自修复材料对提高核能系统结构材料及相关零部件的服役安全性至关重要。本工作利用微纳加工技术,制备了[0001]取向的单晶Nb4AlC3MAX相纳米线,并在TEM中对其进行原位定量拉伸测试,以探究其力学行为和断面自修复行为及相关机制。结果表明,Nb4AlC3MAX相纳米线在拉伸应力作用下发生脆性断裂,断裂强度可达6.98 GPa,并具有超高的伸长率(11.5%)。室温条件下其断裂强度可自发恢复30.2%,断面原子重新键合和原子迁移是其自修复的主要机制。电子束辐照可引起晶格膨胀和原子迁移,导致更多原子参与成键,进一步增强其断面自修复效率(断裂强度可恢复56.3%)。

关键词 : Nb4AlC3MAX相,  伸长率,  自修复,  辐照,  原子迁移    
Abstract:

The development of high-strength self-healing materials with heat and radiation resistance is crucial for improving the safety and reliability of advanced nuclear energy systems. However, conventional self-healing materials—including polymers and their composites—suffer from low strength, poor thermal stability, and insufficient irradiation resistance, severely limiting their practical applications in harsh nuclear environments. Self-healing of metallic or ceramic materials at high temperatures can be achieved through oxidation, atomic diffusion, or phase changes; however, this is impractical for in-service components. MAX phases are a family of nanolayered ternary carbides and nitrides with the general formula Mn+ 1AXn. Their unique combination of metallic and ceramic properties—including high-temperature stability and radiation and damage tolerance—makes them promising candidates for nuclear applications. Nevertheless, the nanoscale self-healing behavior of MAX phases, particularly the underlying mechanisms and quantitative healing efficiency, remains largely unexplored. Moreover, the mechanical properties of single-crystalline Nb4AlC3MAX phase nanowires, particularly their fracture behaviors and postfracture self-healing capability, have not yet been systematically investigated. In this work, monocrystalline [0001]-oriented Nb4AlC3MAX phase nanowires were fabricated using focused ion beam-based nanofabrication. The mechanical behavior and fracture surface self-healing were quantitatively investigated by in situ tensile testing within TEM, elucidating the mechanical properties and fracture mechanisms under uniaxial tension along the c-axis and revealing the atomistic mechanisms governing room-temperature spontaneous self-healing of fractured surfaces. An electron beam irradiation strategy is also proposed to enhance healing efficiency and elucidate its underlying physical mechanisms. The results show that the nanowires exhibit brittle fracture under tensile stress (fracture strength: 6.98 GPa, super-elongation: 11.5%), attributed to the size effect and absence of defects at the nanoscale. The fractured surfaces spontaneously self-healed at room temperature, recovering 30.2% of the original fracture strength. Atomic-scale HRTEM characterization reveals that atomic rebonding across the fracture surfaces and atomic migration dominate self-healing. Furthermore, electron beam irradiation can cause lattice expansion along the c-axis and promote atomic migration, enabling more atoms to participate in rebonding and thereby further enhancing the healing efficiency (up to 56.3% recovery).

Key words: Nb4AlC3MAX phase    elongation    self-healing    irradiation    atomic migration
收稿日期: 2025-12-03     
ZTFLH:  O341  
基金资助:国家自然科学基金项目(52302203);江苏省基础研究计划重点项目(BK20253032)
通讯作者: 柯培玲,kepl@nimte.ac.cn,主要从事MAX相材料研制及其服役性能研究;
赵宏伟,hwzhao@jlu.edu.cn,主要从事材料微观力学性能原位测试原理技术与仪器装备研究
作者简介: 崔俊峰,男,1991年生,博士
图1  Nb4AlC3MAX相粉末颗粒表征
图2  Nb4AlC3MAX相纳米线的加工及表征
图3  Nb4AlC3MAX相纳米线断裂及自修复行为的原位定量测试
图4  Nb4AlC3MAX相纳米线拉伸断裂及自修复过程示意图
图5  修复前后Nb4AlC3MAX相纳米线断面的高分辨TEM像
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