Experimental Center for Advanced Materials;
Beijing 100095;
Beijing Institute of Technology;
Shenzhen 518110;
Ltd;
School of Materials Science and Engineering;
AECC Beijing Institute of Aeronautical Materials;
Beijing 100081;
China;
University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (UESTC);
Shenzhen Institute for Advanced Study;
Science and Technology on Advanced High Temperature Structural Materials Laboratory;
Beijing 100176;
LandSpace Technology Co.;
Nickel-based powder metallurgy superalloys have been extensively employed in aerospace industry because of their superior performance. However, severe defects can be formed in primary particle boundaries (PPB) during manufacturing process of superalloys, significantly deteriorating their practical performance. This study comprehensively investigates the surface structure, elemental distribution, and chemical state of FGH96 superalloy powder via several advanced surface characterization techniques. The results indicate that the strong binding affinity between metal elements (e.g., Al, Cr, Ti) and O/H elements contributes to the formation of an oxide layer in both surface and interval areas, providing an essential chemical basis for the development of PPB. Furthermore, Ti and Al exhibit the highest binding strength with O, which may form stable oxides. Hopefully, these findings will facilitate the emergence of PPB-free superalloys with improved performance.