Metal passivation strengthens the interface in titanium composites reinforced with boron nitride nanotubes

Zihan Liu; Ning Li; Yingchun Jiang; Chenglin Yi; Cheol Park; Catharine C. Fay; Huck Beng Chew; Changhong Ke

doi:10.1016/j.mtla.2025.102366

Metal passivation strengthens the interface in titanium composites reinforced with boron nitride nanotubes

Zihan Liu
, Ning Li
, Yingchun Jiang
, Chenglin Yi
, Cheol Park
, Catharine C. Fay
, Huck Beng Chew
, Changhong Ke

Aerospace Engineering

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

We investigate the interfacial interaction in titanium metal matrix composites (MMCs) reinforced with boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) through in situ scanning electron microscopy nanomechanical pullout experiments. The measurements reveal a stronger interface formed by Ti with BNNTs than carbon nanotubes (CNTs). Density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that the observed interfacial strength is attributed to covalent bonding formed on the metal surface that is partially oxidized due to passivation. Moreover, the composite interface maintains its strength even after prolonged thermal annealing in air, which is in stark contrast to the substantial degradation that occurs on the composite interface with CNTs. The complex interplay of metal passivation on the interfacial interaction and reinforcement opens a new avenue of exploiting metal passivation as an innovative active self-strengthening mechanism for nanotube-reinforced MMCs.

Original language	English (US)
Article number	102366
Journal	Materialia
Volume	39
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mtla.2025.102366
State	Published - Mar 2025

Keywords

Boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTS)
Metal matrix composite (MMC)
Metal passivation
interfacial interactions
nanomechanics

ASJC Scopus subject areas

General Materials Science

Online availability

10.1016/j.mtla.2025.102366

Library availability

Discover UIUC Full Text

Cite this

@article{d962f4238cdd4bcabc13561feffc5beb,

title = "Metal passivation strengthens the interface in titanium composites reinforced with boron nitride nanotubes",

abstract = "We investigate the interfacial interaction in titanium metal matrix composites (MMCs) reinforced with boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) through in situ scanning electron microscopy nanomechanical pullout experiments. The measurements reveal a stronger interface formed by Ti with BNNTs than carbon nanotubes (CNTs). Density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that the observed interfacial strength is attributed to covalent bonding formed on the metal surface that is partially oxidized due to passivation. Moreover, the composite interface maintains its strength even after prolonged thermal annealing in air, which is in stark contrast to the substantial degradation that occurs on the composite interface with CNTs. The complex interplay of metal passivation on the interfacial interaction and reinforcement opens a new avenue of exploiting metal passivation as an innovative active self-strengthening mechanism for nanotube-reinforced MMCs.",

keywords = "Boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTS), Metal matrix composite (MMC), Metal passivation, interfacial interactions, nanomechanics",

author = "Zihan Liu and Ning Li and Yingchun Jiang and Chenglin Yi and Cheol Park and Fay, \{Catharine C.\} and Chew, \{Huck Beng\} and Changhong Ke",

note = "The authors acknowledge the support of the National Science Foundation under Grant Nos. CMMI-2009134, 2406763, and 2425706 (CK) and CMMI-2009684, 2406764, and 2425707 (HBC). CK acknowledges the support of the SUNY System Administration under SUNY Research Seed Grant Award \#241008. The use of the Advanced Cyberinfrastructure Coordination Ecosystem: Services \& Support (ACCESS), through allocations MAT220005, MAT230069, MAT240041, MAT240043, along with Frontera resources at the Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC) through allocation MSS22006, are gratefully acknowledged.",

year = "2025",

month = mar,

doi = "10.1016/j.mtla.2025.102366",

language = "English (US)",

volume = "39",

journal = "Materialia",

issn = "2589-1529",

publisher = "Elsevier B.V.",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Metal passivation strengthens the interface in titanium composites reinforced with boron nitride nanotubes

AU - Liu, Zihan

AU - Li, Ning

AU - Jiang, Yingchun

AU - Yi, Chenglin

AU - Park, Cheol

AU - Fay, Catharine C.

AU - Chew, Huck Beng

AU - Ke, Changhong

N1 - The authors acknowledge the support of the National Science Foundation under Grant Nos. CMMI-2009134, 2406763, and 2425706 (CK) and CMMI-2009684, 2406764, and 2425707 (HBC). CK acknowledges the support of the SUNY System Administration under SUNY Research Seed Grant Award #241008. The use of the Advanced Cyberinfrastructure Coordination Ecosystem: Services & Support (ACCESS), through allocations MAT220005, MAT230069, MAT240041, MAT240043, along with Frontera resources at the Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC) through allocation MSS22006, are gratefully acknowledged.

PY - 2025/3

Y1 - 2025/3

N2 - We investigate the interfacial interaction in titanium metal matrix composites (MMCs) reinforced with boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) through in situ scanning electron microscopy nanomechanical pullout experiments. The measurements reveal a stronger interface formed by Ti with BNNTs than carbon nanotubes (CNTs). Density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that the observed interfacial strength is attributed to covalent bonding formed on the metal surface that is partially oxidized due to passivation. Moreover, the composite interface maintains its strength even after prolonged thermal annealing in air, which is in stark contrast to the substantial degradation that occurs on the composite interface with CNTs. The complex interplay of metal passivation on the interfacial interaction and reinforcement opens a new avenue of exploiting metal passivation as an innovative active self-strengthening mechanism for nanotube-reinforced MMCs.

AB - We investigate the interfacial interaction in titanium metal matrix composites (MMCs) reinforced with boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) through in situ scanning electron microscopy nanomechanical pullout experiments. The measurements reveal a stronger interface formed by Ti with BNNTs than carbon nanotubes (CNTs). Density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that the observed interfacial strength is attributed to covalent bonding formed on the metal surface that is partially oxidized due to passivation. Moreover, the composite interface maintains its strength even after prolonged thermal annealing in air, which is in stark contrast to the substantial degradation that occurs on the composite interface with CNTs. The complex interplay of metal passivation on the interfacial interaction and reinforcement opens a new avenue of exploiting metal passivation as an innovative active self-strengthening mechanism for nanotube-reinforced MMCs.

KW - Boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTS)

KW - Metal matrix composite (MMC)

KW - Metal passivation

KW - interfacial interactions

KW - nanomechanics

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85217366309

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85217366309#tab=citedBy

U2 - 10.1016/j.mtla.2025.102366

DO - 10.1016/j.mtla.2025.102366

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85217366309

SN - 2589-1529

VL - 39

JO - Materialia

JF - Materialia

M1 - 102366

ER -

Metal passivation strengthens the interface in titanium composites reinforced with boron nitride nanotubes

Abstract

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Online availability

Library availability

Related links

Fingerprint

Cite this