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Manipulating topological spin textures is a key for exploring unprecedented emergent electromagnetic phenomena. Whereas switching control of magnetic skyrmions, e.g., the transitions between a skyrmion-lattice phase and conventional magnetic orders, is intensively studied towards development of future memory device concepts, transitions among spin textures with different topological orders remain largely unexplored. Here we develop a series of chiral magnets MnSi 1− x Ge x , serving as a platform for transitions among skyrmion- and hedgehog-lattice states. By neutron scattering, Lorentz transmission electron microscopy and high-field transport measurements, we observe three different topological spin textures with variation of the lattice constant controlled by Si/Ge substitution: two-dimensional skyrmion lattice in x  = 0–0.25 and two distinct three-dimensional hedgehog lattices in x  = 0.3–0.6 and x  = 0.7–1. The emergence of various topological spin states in the chemical-pressure-controlled materials suggests a new route for direct manipulation of the spin-texture topology by facile mechanical methods. Manipulating topological spin textures are demanded for future spintronic devices, but knowledge about phase transitions among different spin textures remain limited. Here, Fujishiro and Kanazawa et al. report chemical-pressure-controlled phase transitions between different topological spin textures in chiral magnets MnSi 1− x Ge x .

It has been shown that, in some copper-based alloys subjected to cold deformation by rolling to 98.6–99% followed by recrystallization annealing, a sharp cube texture can be produced. Optimum conditions of annealing have been determined, which make it possible to produce a sharp biaxial texture in Cu-Ni, Cu-Fe, and Cu-Cr alloys with the fraction of cube grains of more than 95%; this opens a possibility of using thin ribbons made of these alloys as substrates for multilayer film compositions, in particular when developing second-generation high-temperature superconductors.

Magnetic materials can host skyrmions, which are topologically non-trivial spin textures. In chiral magnets with cubic lattice symmetry, all previously observed skyrmion phases require thermal fluctuations to become thermodynamically stable in bulk materials, and therefore exist only at relatively high temperature, close to the helimagnetic transition temperature. Other stabilization mechanisms require a lowering of the cubic crystal symmetry. Here, we report the identification of a second skyrmion phase in Cu2OSeO3 at low temperature and in the presence of an applied magnetic field. The new skyrmion phase is thermodynamically disconnected from the well-known, nearly isotropic, high-temperature phase, and exists, in contrast, when the external magnetic field is oriented along the 〈100〉 crystal axis only. Theoretical modelling provides evidence that the stabilization mechanism is given by well-known cubic anisotropy terms, and accounts for an additional observation of metastable helices tilted away from the applied field. The identification of two distinct skyrmion phases in the same material and the generic character of the underlying mechanism suggest a new avenue for the discovery, design and manipulation of topological spin textures.

Additive manufacturing (AM) enables the production of complex, net-shape geometries. Additionally, in AM of metal and ceramics, which has received less attention, the microstructure and texture of the product can be arbitrarily controlled by selecting appropriate process parameters, thereby enabling unprecedented superior properties. This paper discusses recent progress pertaining to texture evolution mechanisms and control methods, with an emphasis on selective laser melting. One of the unique characteristics of AM is that the texture can be varied as a function of position within the product by controlling the scan strategy. The transient behavior of the texture and the factor used to control it via the scan strategy are discussed. In addition, the texture evolution behavior of face- and body-centered cubic as well as noncubic materials is discussed. The importance of the crystallographic “multiplicity” of the preferential crystal growth direction is described to understand the evolution behavior of the texture in such materials.

Data on the degree of cube texture perfection, magnetic, and strength properties of two groups of alloys, namely, nickel- and copper-based compositions are reported. For all the alloys under study, a certain quantitative ratio of principal texture components in the alloys subjected to cold rolling to 98.6–99.0% degree of deformation was shown to be a criterion for the possibility of preparing a sharp cube texture in tapes in the course of subsequent recrystallizing annealing. Optimum compositions of nickel-based alloys, which are nonmagnetic at a working temperature of superconductor, were found; all copper-based alloys are nonmagnetic at this temperature. The strength properties of recrystallized nickel- and copper-based tapes are substantially higher than those of tapes made of pure metals.

Spray cooling stands out as a suitable method for cooling of high-end electronic devices. Texturing of the surface can further increase the cooling performance. Understanding the flow dynamics and heat transport during the impingement of a single drop is crucial to gain an in-depth insight into complex phenomena governing spray cooling. In this study, the influence of textured walls on drop impingement dynamics and heat transfer is investigated. Numerical simulations are conducted within the OpenFOAM framework. Our solver accounts for evaporation, conjugate heat transfer and a dynamic contact angle. We study wall topographies comprised of cubes, rectangular grooves, pyramids and triangular grooves. Our results reveal that textured surfaces significantly increase both wetted area and contact line length compared to a smooth wall, with cubes demonstrating the best performance. Furthermore, we observe a significant increase in heat flow during the sessile drop phase. This study lays the foundation for designing surfaces that optimize heat transfer for drop impingement and spray cooling.

Constitutive modeling of anisotropic plastic material behavior traditionally follows a deductive scheme, relying on empirical observations that are cast into analytic equations, the so-called phenomenological yield functions. Recently, data-driven constitutive modeling has emerged as an alternative to phenomenological models as it offers a more general way to describe the material behavior with no or fewer assumptions. In data-driven constitutive modeling, methods of statistical learning are applied to infer the yield function directly from a data set generated by experiments or numerical simulations. Currently these data sets solely consist of stresses and strains, considering the microstructure only implicitly. Similar to the phenomenological approach, this limits the generality of the inferred material model, as it is only valid for the specific material employed in the virtual or physical experiments. In this work, we present a new generic descriptor for crystallographic texture that allows an explicit consideration of the microstructure in data-driven constitutive modeling. This descriptor compromises between generality and complexity and is based on an approximately equidistant discretization of the orientation space. We prove its ability to capture the structure–property relationships between a variety of cubic–orthorhombic textures and their anisotropic plastic behavior expressed by the yield function Yld2004-18p. Three different machine learning models trained with the descriptor can predict yield loci as well as r -values of unseen microstructures with sufficient accuracy. The descriptor allows an explicit consideration of crystallographic texture, providing a pathway to microstructure-sensitive data-driven constitutive modeling.

Additive manufacturing (AM) techniques including laser powder bed fusion have been widely used to produce metallic components with microstructures and mechanical properties distinctly different from the conventionally manufactured counterparts. Understanding how AM parameters affect the evolution of microstructure, including texture, of these AM metallic components is critical for appropriate manipulation of their processing and therefore their mechanical properties. Here we conducted a systematic investigation of texture evolution of a face-centred cubic CrMnFeCoNi high-entropy alloy cuboid fabricated using laser powder bed fusion. Our results showed that the texture evolutions along the build direction were different between the corner and central parts of the sample. Detailed analysis suggested that the texture evolution is closely related to local thermal gradient, which is a property that can be manipulated through changing AM parameters. The different textures lead to the significant variations of mechanical properties within the sample.

Commercial oxygen-free copper sheets were cold-rolled with reduction rates ranging from 20% to 87% and annealed at 400, 500 and 600 °C. The microstructure and texture evolution during the cold-rolling and annealing processes were studied using optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and electron back-scattered diffraction (EBSD). The results show that the deformation textures of 123 (S), 112 (Copper) and 110 (Brass) were continuously enhanced with the increase in cold-rolling reduction. The orientations along the α-oriented fiber converged towards Brass, and the orientation density of β fiber obviously increased when the rolling reduction exceeded 60%. The recrystallization texture was significantly affected by the cold-rolling reduction. After 60% cold-rolling reduction, Copper and S texture components gradually decreased, and the 011 recrystallization texture component formed with the increase in annealing temperature. After 87% cold-rolling reduction, a strong Cube texture formed, and other textures were inhibited with the increase in annealing temperature. The strong Brass and S deformation texture was conducive to the formation of a strong Cube annealing texture. The density of the annealing twin boundary decreased with the increase in annealing temperature, and more annealing twin boundaries formed in the oxygen-free copper sheets with the increase in cold-rolling reduction.

Direct numerical simulations of two superposed fluids in a channel with a textured surface on the lower wall have been carried out. A parametric study varying the viscosity ratio between the two fluids has been performed to mimic both idealised super-hydrophobic and liquid-infused surfaces and assess its effect on the frictional, form and total drag for three different textured geometries: longitudinal square bars, transversal square bars and staggered cubes. The interface between the two fluids is assumed to be slippery in the streamwise and spanwise directions and not deformable in the vertical direction, corresponding to the ideal case of infinite surface tension. To identify the role of the fluid–fluid interface, an extra set of simulations with a single fluid has been carried out. Comparison with the cases with two fluids reveals the role of the interface in suppressing turbulent transport between the lubricating layer and the overlying flow decreasing the overall drag. In addition, the drag and the maximum wall-normal velocity fluctuations were found to be highly correlated for all the surface configurations, whether they reduce or increase the drag. This implies that the structure of the near-wall turbulence is dominated by the total shear and not by the local boundary condition of the super-hydrophobic, liquid infused or rough surfaces.