Precipitation Engineering in Advanced Metallic Materials

Precipitation strengthening remains one of the most effective and widely applied strategies for tailoring the mechanical, thermal, and functional properties of metallic materials. As structural and functional alloys are pushed toward higher performance, lighter weight, and greater service reliability, precise control over precipitate nucleation, growth, morphology, and distribution has become central to alloy design. This challenge is compounded by the rise of additive manufacturing, which introduces non-equilibrium solidification conditions, unique thermal histories, and site-specific microstructures that fundamentally alter precipitation behavior compared to conventionally processed materials.This Research Topic aims to bring together recent advances in the science and engineering of precipitation in advanced metallic materials, spanning both traditional processing routes and additive manufacturing. We welcome contributions addressing material design strategies, precipitation mechanisms and kinetics, advanced characterization techniques, computational and multiscale modelling approaches, and the relationships between precipitation, microstructure, and resulting properties.We invite original research, reviews, and perspective articles covering, but not limited to, the following themes:• Alloy and precipitate design for traditional (casting, wrought, powder metallurgy) and additively manufactured metallic materials• Precipitation mechanisms, kinetics, and thermodynamics under equilibrium and non-equilibrium (e.g., rapid solidification, cyclic thermal) conditions• Advanced characterization of precipitate structure, chemistry, and evolution (e.g., atom probe tomography, in-situ TEM, synchrotron techniques)• Computational modelling and simulation of precipitation phenomena (e.g., phase-field, CALPHAD, atomistic, and machine-learning-assisted approaches)• Precipitation–microstructure–property relationships, including strengthening mechanisms, thermal stability, and in-service performance• Process–structure–property linkages specific to additive manufacturing of precipitation-strengthened alloys. Topic editors: Baoqi Dong, Gang Niu, Hao Yu Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/86544/precipitation-engineering-in-advanced-metallic-materials