Dear Colleagues,

Microalloying in steel was introduced in the 1960s, and since then became the standard metallurgical approach for producing thermomechanically processed steels. The metal physical effects related to microalloying, especially grain refinement and particle precipitation, are well-known. In recent years, the body of knowledge on the physical metallurgy of microalloys has been steadily increasing as novel characterization techniques have allowed a much deeper insight into the specific functionality of microalloying elements and their interactions with other alloying elements. This has initiated new applications for microalloys in areas where they have not been considered before. A prominent example relates to improving the resistance against hydrogen embrittlement in ultra-high-strength steels. On the computational side, the modeling of microalloy interaction with thermomechanical processes as well as ab initio calculations for understanding interactions at the atomic scale are progressing rapidly.

This Special Issue invites authors to report on recent findings regarding the fundamental understanding of microalloy effects and functionality in steel as well as the product-related design and processing of microalloyed steels. Contributions should focus on physical metallurgical effects, interaction with processing and application properties. Reviews reflecting on the state-of-the-art developed in specific aspects of microalloying are also welcome.

Prof. Dr. Hardy Mohrbacher
Dr. Pello Uranga
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Metals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• microstructural control
• grain refinement
• precipitation
• transformation
• solute drag
• segregation
• hydrogen embrittlement
• recrystallization delay
• weldability