Aluminum laminates of high and technical purity layers were produced by accumulative roll bonding (ARB) at room temperature. To study the thermal stability, the laminates after 2 to 9 ARB cycles were annealed between 100 and 400 °C for one hour. Changes of the microstructure were analyzed by electron backscatter diffraction. For low ARB cycle numbers (4 or below) and 300 °C annealing temperature, the deformed technical pure layers start to recrystallize while the high-purity coarse recrystallized layers experience intralayer grain growth. For higher ARB cycle numbers (6 and 8) and an annealing temperature of 300 °C or above, the ultra-fine grained layers of technical purity are consumed by the layer overlapping growth of high-purity grains producing a banded grain structure. For 9 ARB cycles and at an annealing temperature of 400 °C, a globular grain structure develops with grain sizes larger than twice the layer thickness. The effect of impurities on recrystallization and grain growth of ARB laminates is discussed with regard to tailoring its microstructure by heat treatment. For further analyses, the results are compared with Potts model simulations finding a rather good qualitative agreement with the experimental data albeit some simplified model assumptions.

The glass-forming Ti₇₅Zr₁₀Si₁₅ and Ti₆₀Zr₁₀Nb₁₅Si₁₅ alloys composed of nontoxic elements may represent new materials for biomedical applications. For this study, melt-spun alloy samples exhibiting glass–matrix nanocomposite structures were subjected to thermal oxidation treatments in synthetic air to improve their surface characteristics. 550 °C was identified as the most appropriate temperature to carry out oxidative surface modifications while preserving the initial metastable microstructure. The modified surfaces were evaluated considering morphological and structural aspects, and it was found that the oxide films formed at 550 °C are amorphous and consist mainly of TiO₂; their thicknesses were estimated to be ~560 nm for Ti₇₅Zr₁₀Si₁₅ and ~460 nm for Ti₆₀Zr₁₀Nb₁₅Si₁₅. The thermally treated sample surfaces exhibit not only higher roughnesses and higher hardnesses but also improved wettability compared to the as-spun materials. By immersion of oxidized samples in simulated body fluid Ca- and P-containing coatings exhibiting typical morphologies of apatite are formed.

Three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting has become a fast-developing research field in the last few years. Many different technical solutions are available, with extrusion-based printing being the most promising and versatile method. In addition, a variety of biomaterials are already available for 3D printing of live cells. The real challenge, however, remains bioprinting of macroscopic, volumetric constructs of well-defined structures since hydrogels used for cell-embedding must consist of rather soft materials. This article describes recent developments to overcome these limitations that prevent clinical applications of bioprinted human tissues. New approaches include technical solutions such as in situ cross-linking or gelation processes that now can be performed during the bioprinting process, modified bioinks that combine suitable viscosity and cytocompatible gelation mechanisms, and utilization of additional materials to provide mechanical strength to the cell-laden constructs.

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