Recent advancements in electronic devices and wireless communication technologies, particularly the rise of 5G, have raised concerns about the escalating electromagnetic pollution and its potential adverse impacts on human health and electronics. As a result, the demand for effective electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding materials has grown significantly. Traditional materials face limitations in providing optimal solutions owing to inadequacy and low performance due to small thickness. MXene-based composite materials have emerged as promising candidates in this context owing to their exceptional electrical properties, high conductivity, and superior EMI shielding efficiency across a broad frequency range. This review examines the recent developments and advantages of MXene-based composite materials in EMI shielding applications, emphasizing their potential to address the challenges posed by electromagnetic pollution and to foster advancements in modern electronics systems and vital technologies.

In this study, Ni-Y₂O₃ powder was prepared by alloying recomposition oxidation sintering (AROS), solution combustion synthesis (SCS), and conventional mechanical alloying (MA). The microstructure and mechanical properties of the alloys were investigated by spark plasma sintering (SPS). Among the Ni-Y₂O₃ powders synthesized by the three methods, the AROS powder had approximately 5 nm of Y₂O₃ crystals uniformly distributed within the Ni particles, whereas the SCS powder contained a mixture of Ni and Y₂O₃ nanoparticles, and the MA powder formed small Y₂O₃ crystals on the surface of large Ni particles by milling the mixture of Ni and Y₂O₃. The average grain size of Y₂O₃ in the sintered alloys was approximately 15 nm, with the AROS sinter having the smallest, followed by the SCS sinter at 18 nm, and the MA sinter at 22 nm. The yield strength (YS) of the SCS- and MA-sintered alloys were 1511 and 1688 MPa, respectively, which are lower than the YS value of 1697 MPa for the AROS-sintered alloys. The AROS alloy exhibited improved strength compared to the alloys fabricated by SCS and conventional MA methods, primarily because of the increased strengthening from the finer Y₂O₃ particles and Ni grains.

High-entropy alloys (HEAs) are characterized by having five or more main elements and forming simple solids without forming intermetallic compounds, owing to the high entropy effect. HEAs with these characteristics are being researched as structural materials for extreme environments. Conventional refractory alloys have excellent hightemperature strength and stability; however, problems occur when they are used extensively in a high-temperature environment, leading to reduced fatigue properties due to oxidation or a limited service life. In contrast, refractory entropy alloys, which provide refractory properties to entropy alloys, can address these issues and improve the hightemperature stability of the alloy through phase control when designed based on existing refractory alloy elements. Refractory high-entropy alloys require sufficient milling time while in the process of mechanical alloying because of the brittleness of the added elements. Consequently, the high-energy milling process must be optimized because of the possibility of contamination of the alloyed powder during prolonged milling. In this study, we investigated the hightemperature oxidation behavior of refractory high-entropy alloys while optimizing the milling time.

Transition metal chalcogenides are promising cathode materials for next-generation battery systems, particularly sodium-ion batteries. Ni₃Co₆S₈-pitch-derived carbon composite microspheres with a yolk-shell structure (Ni₃Co₆S₈@C-YS) were synthesized through a three-step process: spray pyrolysis, pitch coating, and post-heat treatment process. Ni₃Co₆S₈@C-YS exhibited an impressive reversible capacity of 525.2 mA h g^-1 at a current density of 0.5 A g^-1 over 50 cycles when employed as an anode material for sodium-ion batteries. However, Ni₃Co₆S₈ yolk shell nanopowder (Ni₃Co₆S₈-YS) without pitch-derived carbon demonstrated a continuous decrease in capacity during charging and discharging. The superior sodium-ion storage properties of Ni₃Co₆S₈@C-YS were attributed to the pitchderived carbon, which effectively adjusted the size and distribution of nanocrystals. The carbon-coated yolk-shell microspheres proposed here hold potential for various metal chalcogenide compounds and can be applied to various fields, including the energy storage field.

This study investigates the melting point and brazing properties of the aluminum (Al)-copper (Cu)-silicon (Si)-tin (Sn) alloy fabricated for low-temperature brazing based on the alloy design. Specifically, the Al-20Cu-10Si-Sn alloy is examined and confirmed to possess a melting point of approximately 520°C. Analysis of the melting point of the alloy based on composition reveals that the melting temperature tends to decrease with increasing Cu and Si content, along with a corresponding decrease as the Sn content rises. This study verifies that the Al-20Cu-10Si-5Sn alloy exhibits high liquidity and favorable mechanical properties for brazing through the joint gap filling test and Vickers hardness measurements. Additionally, a powder fabricated using the Al-20Cu-10Si-5Sn alloy demonstrates a melting point of around 515°C following melting point analysis. Consequently, it is deemed highly suitable for use as a low-temperature Al brazing material.

The semiconductor industry faces physical limitations due to its top-down manufacturing processes. High cost of EUV equipment, time loss during tens or hundreds of photolithography steps, overlay, etch process errors, and contamination issues owing to photolithography still exist and may become more serious with the miniaturization of semiconductor devices. Therefore, a bottom-up approach is required to overcome these issues. The key technology that enables bottom-up semiconductor manufacturing is area-selective atomic layer deposition (ASALD). Here, various ASALD processes for elemental metals, such as Co, Cu, Ir, Ni, Pt, and Ru, are reviewed. Surface treatments using chemical species, such as self-assembled monolayers and small-molecule inhibitors, to control the hydrophilicity of the surface have been introduced. Finally, we discuss the future applications of metal ASALD processes.

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• Selective Atomic Layer Deposition of Co Thin Films Using Co(EtCp)2 Precursor
  Sujeong Kim, Yong Tae Kim, Jaeyeong Heo
  Korean Journal of Materials Research.2024; 34(3): 163.     CrossRef

Liquid metal extraction (LME), a pyrometallurgical recycling method, is popular owing to its negligible environmental impact. LME mainly targets rare-earth permanent magnets having several rare-earth elements. Mg is used as a solvent metal for LME because of its selective and eminent reactivity with rare-earth elements in magnets. Several studies concerning the formation of Dy-Fe intermetallic compounds and their effects on LME using Mg exist. However, methods for reducing these compounds are unavailable. Fe reacts more strongly with B than with Dy; B addition can be a reducing method for Dy-Fe intermetallic compounds owing to the formation of Fe₂B, which takes Fe from Dy-Fe intermetallic compounds. The FeB alloy is an adequate additive for the decomposition of Fe₂B. To accomplish the former process, Mg must convey B to a permanent magnet during the decomposition of the FeB alloy. Here, the effect of Mg on the transfer of B from FeB to permanent magnet is observed through microstructural and phase analyses. Through microstructural and phase analysis, it is confirmed that FeB is converted to Fe₂B upon B transfer, owing to Mg. Finally, the transfer effect of Mg is confirmed, and the possibility of reducing Dy-Fe intermetallic compounds during LME is suggested.

Atomic layer etching (ALE) is a promising technique with atomic-level thickness controllability and high selectivity based on self-limiting surface reactions. ALE is performed by sequential exposure of the film surface to reactants, which results in surface modification and release of volatile species. Among the various ALE methods, thermal ALE involves a thermally activated reaction by employing gas species to release the modified surface without using energetic species, such as accelerated ions and neutral beams. In this study, the basic principle and surface reaction mechanisms of thermal ALE?processes, including “fluorination-ligand exchange reaction”, “conversion-etch reaction”, “conversion-fluorination reaction”, “oxidation-fluorination reaction”, “oxidation-ligand exchange reaction”, and “oxidation-conversion-fluorination reaction” are described. In addition, the reported thermal ALE processes for the removal of various oxides, metals, and nitrides are presented.

In this study, an Al₈₂Ni₇Co₃Y₈ (at%) bulk metallic glass is fabricated using gas-atomized Al₈₂Ni₇Co₃Y₈ metallic glass powder and subsequent spark plasma sintering (SPS). The effect of powder size on the consolidation of bulk metallic glass is considered by dividing it into 5 μm or less and 20–45 μm. The sintered Al₈₂Ni₇Co₃Y₈ bulk metallic glasses exhibit crystallization behavior and crystallization enthalpy similar to those of the Al₈₂Ni₇Co₃Y₈ powder with 5 μm or less and it is confirmed that no crystallization occurred during the sintering process. From these results, we conclude that the Z-position-controlled spark plasma sintering process, using superplastic deformation by viscous flow in the supercooled liquid-phase region of amorphous powder, is an effective process for manufacturing bulk metallic glass.

High-entropy alloys (HEAs) are attracting attention because of their excellent properties and functions; however, they are relatively expensive compared with commercial alloys. Therefore, various efforts have been made to reduce the cost of raw materials. In this study, MIM is attempted using coarse equiatomic CoCrFeMnNi HEA powders. The mixing ratio (powder:binder) for HEA feedstock preparation is explored using torque rheometer. The block-shaped green parts are fabricated through a metal injection molding process using feedstock. The thermal debinding conditions are explored by thermogravimetric analysis, and solvent and thermal debinding are performed. It is densified under various sintering conditions considering the melting point of the HEA. The final product, which contains a small amount of non-FCC phase, is manufactured at a sintering temperature of 1250°C.

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• Characterization of the Manufacturing Process and Mechanical Properties of CoCrFeMnNi High-Entropy Alloys via Metal Injection Molding and Hot Isostatic Pressing
  Eun Seong Kim, Jae Man Park, Do Won Lee, Hyojeong Ha, Jungho Choe, Jaemin Wang, Seong Jin Park, Byeong-Joo Lee, Hyoung Seop Kim
  journal of Korean Powder Metallurgy Institute.2024; 31(3): 243.     CrossRef

Electroless plating is widely utilized in engineering for the metallization of insulator substrates, including polymers, glass, and ceramics, without the need for the application of external potential. Homogeneous nucleation of metals requires the presence of Sn-Pd catalysts, which significantly reduce the activation energy of deposition. Therefore, rinsing conducted during Sn sensitization and Pd activation is a key variable for the formation of a uniform seed layer without the lack or excess of catalysts. Herein, we report the optimized rinsing process for the functionalization of Sn-Pd catalysts, which enables the uniform FeCo metallization of the glass fibers. Rinsing enables good deposition of the FeCo alloy because of the removal of excess catalysts from the glass fiber. Concurrently, excessive rinsing results in a complete removal of the Sn–Pd nucleus. Collectively, the comprehensive study of the proposed nanomaterial preparation and surface science show that the metallization of insulators is a promising technology for electronics, solar cells, catalysts, and mechanical parts.

Beta-titanium alloys are used in many industries due to their increased elongation resulting from their BCC structure and low modulus of elasticity. However, there are many limitations to their use due to the high cost of betastabilizer elements. In this study, biocompatible Ti-Mo-Fe beta titanium alloys are designed by replacing costly betastabilizer elements (e.g., Nb, Zr, or Ta) with inexpensive Mo and Fe elements. Additionally, Ti-Mo-Fe alloys designed with different Fe contents are fabricated using powder metallurgy. Fe is a strong, biocompatible beta-stabilizer element and a low-cost alloying element. The mechanical properties of the Ti-Mo-Fe metastable beta titanium alloys are analyzed in relation to the microstructural changes. When the Fe content increases, the tensile strength and elongation decrease due to brittle fracture despite a decreasing pore fraction. It is confirmed that the hardness and tensile strength of Ti-5Mo-2Fe P/M improve to more than 360 Hv and 900 MPa, respectively.

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• Fabrication of Ti-Mo Core-shell Powder and Sintering Properties for Application as a Sputtering Target
  Won Hee Lee, Chun Woong Park, Heeyeon Kim, Yuncheol Ha, Jongmin Byun, Young Do Kim
  journal of Korean Powder Metallurgy Institute.2024; 31(1): 43.     CrossRef
• Effect of Strain Rate on Deformation Behaviors of Ti-12.1Mo -1Fe Metastable Beta Alloy
  In Kyeong Jin, Dong-Geun Lee
  Korean Journal of Metals and Materials.2023; 61(10): 741.     CrossRef