The effect of varying powder feedstock chemistry and printing atmosphere on the microstructure of additively manufactured nickel-based ODS alloys: Role on stabilization of cellular structures vs. oxide dispersion formation

Matthew deJong; Sourabh Saptarshi; Iver Anderson; Jennifer Forrester; Saul Lapidus; Timothy Horn; Djamel Kaoumi

doi:10.1016/j.jmrt.2025.12.050

The effect of varying powder feedstock chemistry and printing atmosphere on the microstructure of additively manufactured nickel-based ODS alloys: Role on stabilization of cellular structures vs. oxide dispersion formation

Matthew deJong
, Sourabh Saptarshi
, Iver Anderson
, Jennifer Forrester
, Saul Lapidus
, Timothy Horn
, Djamel Kaoumi

Radiation Effects and Microstructural An

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

1 Scopus citations

Abstract

Nickel-based alloys have a wide variety of structural applications due to their high corrosion resistance and mechanical strength which depend on solid solution strengthening, or the formation of oxides and/or intermetallic precipitation for their properties. In this study, the microstructure of six Ni–Cr–Y–Ti–Al powder batches designed for the production of oxide dispersion strengthened nickel were compared. These batches varied in chemistry and atomization technique used which included Gas Atomization Reactive Synthesis (GARS). The batches of powder were then consolidated via Additive Manufacturing (AM) Powder Bed Fusion using Laser Beam (PBF-LB) and characterized via transmission electron microscopy to elucidate the influence of powder feedstock (i.e. synthesis methodology and chemistry) on the PBF-LB microstructure. The study investigates (i) how the amount of yttrium and titanium additions in the powder feedstock and the addition of oxygen during the processing (through GARS) affect the microstructure of the powder itself and the AM printed microstructure, and (ii) how the control of oxygen addition in the printing atmosphere during the PBF-LB printing process itself is another important parameter for achieving the formation of the wanted oxide dispersion versus the stabilization of the cellular structure (often observed in AM processed alloys). Microstructural characterization of both powder particles and additively manufactured nickel alloys in this study provide important insights into the movement of yttrium within the material upon solidification, particularly along cell boundaries, and how yttrium behaves depending on alloy chemistry. When a threshold of yttrium content is reached within the system, yttrium consistently reacts to form an intermetallic along cell boundaries instead of forming oxide nanoparticles.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	266-279
Number of pages	14
Journal	Journal of Materials Research and Technology
Volume	40
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmrt.2025.12.050
State	Published - Jan 1 2026

Funding

This study is based upon work supported by the Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Administration through the Nuclear Science and Security Consortium under Award Number(s) DE-NA0003996. The authors acknowledge the use of the Analytical Instrumentation Facility ( AIF ) at North Carolina State University , which is supported by the State of North Carolina and the National Science Foundation . The authors would like to thank Ames National Laboratory for supplying the powder feedstock necessary for experiments. The authors would also like to thank the Advanced Photon Source at Argonne National Laboratory for allowing us to collect high resolution x-ray diffraction data on our powder feedstock. The authors would like to thank Dr. Chad Parish and LAMDA facilities at Oak Ridge National Laboratory for their support in TEM characterization of the medium Y–Ti GARS powder print performed in argon with 5 % oxygen. The authors appreciate assistance from Dr. Saikumaran Ayyappan during HRTEM characterization of the cellular structures. Lastly, the authors would like to thank Robert Gentile III and Fedi Fehri for their support with sample preparation and characterization.

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deJong, M., Saptarshi, S., Anderson, I., Forrester, J., Lapidus, S., Horn, T., & Kaoumi, D. (2026). The effect of varying powder feedstock chemistry and printing atmosphere on the microstructure of additively manufactured nickel-based ODS alloys: Role on stabilization of cellular structures vs. oxide dispersion formation. Journal of Materials Research and Technology, 40, 266-279. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmrt.2025.12.050

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title = "The effect of varying powder feedstock chemistry and printing atmosphere on the microstructure of additively manufactured nickel-based ODS alloys: Role on stabilization of cellular structures vs. oxide dispersion formation",

abstract = "Nickel-based alloys have a wide variety of structural applications due to their high corrosion resistance and mechanical strength which depend on solid solution strengthening, or the formation of oxides and/or intermetallic precipitation for their properties. In this study, the microstructure of six Ni{\textendash}Cr{\textendash}Y{\textendash}Ti{\textendash}Al powder batches designed for the production of oxide dispersion strengthened nickel were compared. These batches varied in chemistry and atomization technique used which included Gas Atomization Reactive Synthesis (GARS). The batches of powder were then consolidated via Additive Manufacturing (AM) Powder Bed Fusion using Laser Beam (PBF-LB) and characterized via transmission electron microscopy to elucidate the influence of powder feedstock (i.e. synthesis methodology and chemistry) on the PBF-LB microstructure. The study investigates (i) how the amount of yttrium and titanium additions in the powder feedstock and the addition of oxygen during the processing (through GARS) affect the microstructure of the powder itself and the AM printed microstructure, and (ii) how the control of oxygen addition in the printing atmosphere during the PBF-LB printing process itself is another important parameter for achieving the formation of the wanted oxide dispersion versus the stabilization of the cellular structure (often observed in AM processed alloys). Microstructural characterization of both powder particles and additively manufactured nickel alloys in this study provide important insights into the movement of yttrium within the material upon solidification, particularly along cell boundaries, and how yttrium behaves depending on alloy chemistry. When a threshold of yttrium content is reached within the system, yttrium consistently reacts to form an intermetallic along cell boundaries instead of forming oxide nanoparticles.",

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deJong, M, Saptarshi, S, Anderson, I, Forrester, J, Lapidus, S, Horn, T & Kaoumi, D 2026, 'The effect of varying powder feedstock chemistry and printing atmosphere on the microstructure of additively manufactured nickel-based ODS alloys: Role on stabilization of cellular structures vs. oxide dispersion formation', Journal of Materials Research and Technology, vol. 40, pp. 266-279. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmrt.2025.12.050

The effect of varying powder feedstock chemistry and printing atmosphere on the microstructure of additively manufactured nickel-based ODS alloys: Role on stabilization of cellular structures vs. oxide dispersion formation. / deJong, Matthew; Saptarshi, Sourabh; Anderson, Iver et al.
In: Journal of Materials Research and Technology, Vol. 40, 01.01.2026, p. 266-279.

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

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T1 - The effect of varying powder feedstock chemistry and printing atmosphere on the microstructure of additively manufactured nickel-based ODS alloys

T2 - Role on stabilization of cellular structures vs. oxide dispersion formation

AU - deJong, Matthew

AU - Saptarshi, Sourabh

AU - Anderson, Iver

AU - Forrester, Jennifer

AU - Lapidus, Saul

AU - Horn, Timothy

AU - Kaoumi, Djamel

PY - 2026/1/1

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N2 - Nickel-based alloys have a wide variety of structural applications due to their high corrosion resistance and mechanical strength which depend on solid solution strengthening, or the formation of oxides and/or intermetallic precipitation for their properties. In this study, the microstructure of six Ni–Cr–Y–Ti–Al powder batches designed for the production of oxide dispersion strengthened nickel were compared. These batches varied in chemistry and atomization technique used which included Gas Atomization Reactive Synthesis (GARS). The batches of powder were then consolidated via Additive Manufacturing (AM) Powder Bed Fusion using Laser Beam (PBF-LB) and characterized via transmission electron microscopy to elucidate the influence of powder feedstock (i.e. synthesis methodology and chemistry) on the PBF-LB microstructure. The study investigates (i) how the amount of yttrium and titanium additions in the powder feedstock and the addition of oxygen during the processing (through GARS) affect the microstructure of the powder itself and the AM printed microstructure, and (ii) how the control of oxygen addition in the printing atmosphere during the PBF-LB printing process itself is another important parameter for achieving the formation of the wanted oxide dispersion versus the stabilization of the cellular structure (often observed in AM processed alloys). Microstructural characterization of both powder particles and additively manufactured nickel alloys in this study provide important insights into the movement of yttrium within the material upon solidification, particularly along cell boundaries, and how yttrium behaves depending on alloy chemistry. When a threshold of yttrium content is reached within the system, yttrium consistently reacts to form an intermetallic along cell boundaries instead of forming oxide nanoparticles.

AB - Nickel-based alloys have a wide variety of structural applications due to their high corrosion resistance and mechanical strength which depend on solid solution strengthening, or the formation of oxides and/or intermetallic precipitation for their properties. In this study, the microstructure of six Ni–Cr–Y–Ti–Al powder batches designed for the production of oxide dispersion strengthened nickel were compared. These batches varied in chemistry and atomization technique used which included Gas Atomization Reactive Synthesis (GARS). The batches of powder were then consolidated via Additive Manufacturing (AM) Powder Bed Fusion using Laser Beam (PBF-LB) and characterized via transmission electron microscopy to elucidate the influence of powder feedstock (i.e. synthesis methodology and chemistry) on the PBF-LB microstructure. The study investigates (i) how the amount of yttrium and titanium additions in the powder feedstock and the addition of oxygen during the processing (through GARS) affect the microstructure of the powder itself and the AM printed microstructure, and (ii) how the control of oxygen addition in the printing atmosphere during the PBF-LB printing process itself is another important parameter for achieving the formation of the wanted oxide dispersion versus the stabilization of the cellular structure (often observed in AM processed alloys). Microstructural characterization of both powder particles and additively manufactured nickel alloys in this study provide important insights into the movement of yttrium within the material upon solidification, particularly along cell boundaries, and how yttrium behaves depending on alloy chemistry. When a threshold of yttrium content is reached within the system, yttrium consistently reacts to form an intermetallic along cell boundaries instead of forming oxide nanoparticles.

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deJong M, Saptarshi S, Anderson I, Forrester J, Lapidus S, Horn T et al. The effect of varying powder feedstock chemistry and printing atmosphere on the microstructure of additively manufactured nickel-based ODS alloys: Role on stabilization of cellular structures vs. oxide dispersion formation. Journal of Materials Research and Technology. 2026 Jan 1;40:266-279. doi: 10.1016/j.jmrt.2025.12.050

The effect of varying powder feedstock chemistry and printing atmosphere on the microstructure of additively manufactured nickel-based ODS alloys: Role on stabilization of cellular structures vs. oxide dispersion formation

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