Deformation behaviour of additively manufactured graphene-reinforced 316L stainless steel composites

Abhradeep Das; Sanjay Manda; N. Sathish; Duyao Zhang; Dong Qiu; Raj Das

doi:10.1016/j.msea.2026.150045

Deformation behaviour of additively manufactured graphene-reinforced 316L stainless steel composites

Abhradeep Das, Sanjay Manda, N. Sathish, Duyao Zhang, Dong Qiu, Raj Das

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

Abstract

This study explores the deformation behaviour of a novel graphene-reinforced stainless steel 316L (Gr-SS316L) composite, demonstrating significant enhancement in strength while maintaining good ductility. The composite was fabricated using the laser-powder bed fusion method to achieve homogeneous dispersion of graphene within the stainless steel matrix. Strain-induced lattice rotation altered the crystallographic texture from <001> || BD to <110> || BD in the Gr-SS316L composite. The incorporation of graphene nanoplatelets has enhanced the yield strength by approximately 62% as compared to that of the additively manufactured stainless steel. The primary reason for this improved strength is attributed to the increased overall dislocation density (∼1015 m-2). Several strengthening models have been proposed to explain this phenomenon in the Gr-SS316L composite. The deformed microstructures of Gr-SS316L composites consisted of dislocation pile-ups, deformation nano-twins, stacking faults, shear bands and dislocation locks. The addition of GNP in SS316L promotes the formation of deformation twins, a mechanism that has not been addressed in previous research. Hence, a comprehensive investigation using microscopy was conducted to understand the physics of deformation in Gr-SS316L composites.

Original language	English
Article number	150045
Journal	Materials Science and Engineering: A
Volume	959
Early online date	4 Mar 2026
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.msea.2026.150045
Publication status	Published - 31 Mar 2026

Data Availability Statement

Data will be made available on request.

Acknowledgements

The authors express their deep gratitude to Dr. Marta Beata Krawczyk, faculty member at the West Pomeranian University of Technology, Szczecin, for providing the samples used in this study. We extend our sincere thanks to the Director of CSIR-AMPRI and Dr. Mohammad Ashiq, Senior Scientist at CSIR-AMPRI, for granting access to the IndiRam CTR 300 Raman spectrometer and the HR-TEM facility. Additionally, we acknowledge Dr. Sanjay Rai, Scientist at the Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology (RRCAT), for facilitating the X-ray diffraction measurements at the INDUS 2 beamline (BL-02). Furthermore, we are grateful to Dr. Edwin L.H. Mayes and Dr. Matthew Fields for their invaluable support in accessing the facilities at the RMIT Microscopy and Microanalysis Facility (RMMF) during sample preparation and characterization.

Funding

Abhradeep Das sincerely acknowledges the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), India, for awarding the GATE-SRF fellowship (File No.: 31/GATE/41(37)/2020-EMR-I). The authors express their deep gratitude to Dr. Marta Beata Krawczyk, faculty member at the West Pomeranian University of Technology, Szczecin, for providing the samples used in this study. We extend our sincere thanks to the Director of CSIR-AMPRI and Dr. Mohammad Ashiq, Senior Scientist at CSIR-AMPRI, for granting access to the IndiRam CTR 300 Raman spectrometer and the HR-TEM facility. Additionally, we acknowledge Dr. Sanjay Rai, Scientist at the Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology (RRCAT), for facilitating the X-ray diffraction measurements at the INDUS 2 beamline (BL-02). Furthermore, we are grateful to Dr. Edwin L.H. Mayes and Dr. Matthew Fields for their invaluable support in accessing the facilities at the RMIT Microscopy and Microanalysis Facility (RMMF) during sample preparation and characterization.

Funders	Funder number
Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, India
Marta Beata Krawczyk
GATE-SRF	31/GATE/41(37)/2020-EMR-I
CSIR-AMPRI	BL-02

Keywords

Composite
Deformation nano-twins
Electron microscopy
Graphene
Laser-powder bed fusion

ASJC Scopus subject areas

General Materials Science
Condensed Matter Physics
Mechanics of Materials
Mechanical Engineering

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Cite this

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title = "Deformation behaviour of additively manufactured graphene-reinforced 316L stainless steel composites",

abstract = "This study explores the deformation behaviour of a novel graphene-reinforced stainless steel 316L (Gr-SS316L) composite, demonstrating significant enhancement in strength while maintaining good ductility. The composite was fabricated using the laser-powder bed fusion method to achieve homogeneous dispersion of graphene within the stainless steel matrix. Strain-induced lattice rotation altered the crystallographic texture from <001> || BD to <110> || BD in the Gr-SS316L composite. The incorporation of graphene nanoplatelets has enhanced the yield strength by approximately 62\% as compared to that of the additively manufactured stainless steel. The primary reason for this improved strength is attributed to the increased overall dislocation density (∼1015 m-2). Several strengthening models have been proposed to explain this phenomenon in the Gr-SS316L composite. The deformed microstructures of Gr-SS316L composites consisted of dislocation pile-ups, deformation nano-twins, stacking faults, shear bands and dislocation locks. The addition of GNP in SS316L promotes the formation of deformation twins, a mechanism that has not been addressed in previous research. Hence, a comprehensive investigation using microscopy was conducted to understand the physics of deformation in Gr-SS316L composites.",

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author = "Abhradeep Das and Sanjay Manda and N. Sathish and Duyao Zhang and Dong Qiu and Raj Das",

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AU - Qiu, Dong

AU - Das, Raj

PY - 2026/3/31

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AB - This study explores the deformation behaviour of a novel graphene-reinforced stainless steel 316L (Gr-SS316L) composite, demonstrating significant enhancement in strength while maintaining good ductility. The composite was fabricated using the laser-powder bed fusion method to achieve homogeneous dispersion of graphene within the stainless steel matrix. Strain-induced lattice rotation altered the crystallographic texture from <001> || BD to <110> || BD in the Gr-SS316L composite. The incorporation of graphene nanoplatelets has enhanced the yield strength by approximately 62% as compared to that of the additively manufactured stainless steel. The primary reason for this improved strength is attributed to the increased overall dislocation density (∼1015 m-2). Several strengthening models have been proposed to explain this phenomenon in the Gr-SS316L composite. The deformed microstructures of Gr-SS316L composites consisted of dislocation pile-ups, deformation nano-twins, stacking faults, shear bands and dislocation locks. The addition of GNP in SS316L promotes the formation of deformation twins, a mechanism that has not been addressed in previous research. Hence, a comprehensive investigation using microscopy was conducted to understand the physics of deformation in Gr-SS316L composites.

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KW - Electron microscopy

KW - Graphene

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Deformation behaviour of additively manufactured graphene-reinforced 316L stainless steel composites

Abstract

Data Availability Statement

Acknowledgements

Funding

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Access to Document

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