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Updated: Feb 14, 2026

Shape Memory Polymers for Active Cell Culture
Published on: July 4, 2011
Mechanical Response and Functional Performance of Heat-Treated LPBF NiTi Shape Memory Alloys
Jerzy Ratajski1, Błażej Bałasz1, Agnieszka Peła1
1Faculty of Mechanical and Power Engineering, Koszalin University of Technology, 75-453 Koszalin, Poland.
Abstract:
This study evaluates how solution treatment and aging influence the deformation mechanisms, phase transformations and functional performance of NiTi alloys produced by laser powder bed fusion (LPBF). Tensile tests performed at room temperature (RT) and -20 °C (LT) were combined with Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) analyses to correlate mechanical response with transformation thermodynamics and microstructural evolution. In the as-fabricated (AF) condition, deformation is governed by twinning and martensitic plasticity due to suppressed stress-induced martensite (SIM). Solution treatment (ST) restores reversible SIM at RT and preserves partial recoverability at LT as a result of microstructural homogenization and internal stress relief. Aging at 500 °C (A1h, A20h) promotes Ni4Ti3 precipitation, increasing transformation temperatures and stabilizing martensite, which leads to entirely irreversible deformation at both temperatures. These findings establish a clear functional continuum-ranging from recoverable (ST) to dissipative (AF) and fully irreversible (A20h) behavior-and provide a mechanistic framework for tailoring LPBF NiTi components for actuators, energy-storage and energy-dissipation applications.
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