Mechanistic basis of oxygen sensitivity in titanium

Titanium is extremely sensitive to small amounts of oxygen, which can lead to markedly decreased ductility of the material. Materials scientists therefore aim to lower the costs of purifying titanium, while avoiding the poisoning effects of oxygen. In a new report now on Science Advances, Yan Chong, and a team of scientists in materials science and engineering at the University of California Berkeley and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in the U.S., detailed a systematic study on oxygen sensitivity of titanium. The team provided a clear mechanistic view of the effects of oxygen impurities on the mechanical properties of the material. The experimental and computational work provided insights for a rationale to design titanium alloys with increased tolerance to the variations in interstitial content (a position between the regular positions in an array of atoms in a material), with notable implications to facilitate the widespread use of titanium alloys in spacecrafts, naval ships, aircrafts and materials engineering.