The direct laser-deposited Inconel 718 (IN718) specimens were produced using 1073 nm, high power continuous wave (CW), IPG Ytterbium fibre laser and in-situ heat treatment. The laser power and in-situ heat treatment temperature were fixed while varying the laser scanning speed from 0.83 to 2.50 cm/s. The microstructure and micro-hardness of the IN718 specimens were characterized using an optical microscope (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) equipped with an energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS or EDX) and Vickers system. The microstructure of the specimens consists of γ-matrix as the primary phase, Nb-rich particles, constitutional liquation cave, liquation cracking and ductility-dip cracks. It was found that the micro-hardness profile of the IN718 specimens was gradually increased with the increase of the distance from the surface.

Highly oriented VO2 (M1) thin films are difficult to produce using non-crystalline substrates. For example, to produce such films on glass has required post-annealing or the use of a ZnO transparent layer. Here, we overcome this challenge and report highly oriented VO2 (M1) in the (100) plane directly on the glass substrate by pulsed laser deposition (PLD). We study the influence of the laser wavelengths (1064, 532, 355 and 266 nm) on the orientation of VO2 (M1) deposited on Corning glass. We find that the laser wavelength of 532 nm leads the most highly a-axis textured VO2 (M1) demonstrating the highest reversible metal-to-insulator at about 62 °C with a lowest hysteresis width of approximately 9 °C. One of the conditions is to select the green 532 nm wavelength laser in PLD as this particular laser wavelength also produces films with highest roughness value (of more than 60 nm) when compared to other wavelengths which produce films of roughness values less than 40 nm.