Lightweight single-phase Al-based complex concentrated alloy with high specific strength.

Developing light yet strong aluminum (Al)-based alloys has been attracting unremitting efforts due to the soaring demand for energy-efficient structural materials. However, this endeavor is impeded by the limited solubility of other lighter components in Al. Here, we propose to surmount this challenge by converting multiple brittle phases into a ductile solid solution in Al-based complex concentrated alloys (CCA) by applying high pressure and temperature.

Continuous polyamorphic transition in high-entropy metallic glass.

Polyamorphic transition (PT) is a compelling and pivotal physical phenomenon in the field of glass and materials science. Understanding this transition is of scientific and technological significance, as it offers an important pathway for effectively tuning the structure and property of glasses. In contrast to the PT observed in conventional metallic glasses (MGs), which typically exhibit a pronounced first-order nature, herein we report a continuous PT (CPT) without first-order characteristics in high-entropy MGs (HEMGs) upon heating.

Manipulating the ordered oxygen complexes to achieve high strength and ductility in medium-entropy alloys.

Oxygen solute strengthening is an effective strategy to harden alloys, yet, it often deteriorates the ductility. Ordered oxygen complexes (OOCs), a state between random interstitials and oxides, can simultaneously enhance strength and ductility in high-entropy alloys. However, whether this particular strengthening mechanism holds in other alloys and how these OOCs are tailored remain unclear.

Superior radiation tolerance via reversible disordering-ordering transition of coherent superlattices.

Materials capable of sustaining high radiation doses at a high temperature are required for next-generation fission and future fusion energy. To date, however, even the most promising structural materials cannot withstand the demanded radiation environment due to irreversible radiation-driven microstructure degradation. Here we report a counterintuitive strategy to achieve exceptionally high radiation tolerance at high temperatures by enabling reversible local disordering-ordering transition of the introduced superlattice nanoprecipitates in metallic materials.

Substantially enhanced plasticity of bulk metallic glasses by densifying local atomic packing.

Introducing regions of looser atomic packing in bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) was reported to facilitate plastic deformation, rendering BMGs more ductile at room temperature. Here, we present a different alloy design approach, namely, doping the nonmetallic elements to form densely packed motifs. The enhanced structural fluctuations in Ti-, Zr- and Cu-based BMG systems leads to improved strength and renders these solutes' atomic neighborhoods more prone to plastic deformation at an increased critical stress.

Self-supported efficient hydrogen evolution catalysts with a core-shell structure designed phase separation.

The development of cost-effective, high-performance and flexible electrocatalysts for hydrogen production is of scientific and technological importance. Catalysts with a core-shell structure for water dissociation have been extensively investigated. However, most of them are nanoparticles and thus their catalytic properties are inevitably limited by the use of binders in practice.

Plastic and low-cost axial zero thermal expansion alloy by a natural dual-phase composite.

Zero thermal expansion (ZTE) alloys possess unique dimensional stability, high thermal and electrical conductivities. Their practical application under heat and stress is however limited by their inherent brittleness because ZTE and plasticity are generally exclusive in a single-phase material. Besides, the performance of ZTE alloys is highly sensitive to change of compositions, so conventional synthesis methods such as alloying or the design of multiphase to improve its thermal and mechanical properties are usually inapplicable.

Facile route to bulk ultrafine-grain steels for high strength and ductility.

Steels with sub-micrometre grain sizes usually possess high toughness and strength, which makes them promising for lightweighting technologies and energy-saving strategies. So far, the industrial fabrication of ultrafine-grained (UFG) alloys, which generally relies on the manipulation of diffusional phase transformation, has been limited to steels with austenite-to-ferrite transformation. Moreover, the limited work hardening and uniform elongation of these UFG steels hinder their widespread application.

Snoek-type damping performance in strong and ductile high-entropy alloys.

Noise and mechanical vibrations not only cause damage to devices, but also present major public health hazards. High-damping alloys that eliminate noise and mechanical vibrations are therefore required. Yet, low operating temperatures and insufficient strength/ductility ratios in currently available high-damping alloys limit their applicability.

Publisher Correction: Enhanced strength and ductility in a high-entropy alloy via ordered oxygen complexes.

Change history: In this Letter, owing to a production error, all the data points (except the two points for O-2 and N-2, respectively) were missing in Fig. 1b. The figure has been corrected online.

Enhanced strength and ductility in a high-entropy alloy via ordered oxygen complexes.

Oxygen, one of the most abundant elements on Earth, often forms an undesired interstitial impurity or ceramic phase (such as an oxide particle) in metallic materials. Even when it adds strength, oxygen doping renders metals brittle. Here we show that oxygen can take the form of ordered oxygen complexes, a state in between oxide particles and frequently occurring random interstitials.

Ultrastrong steel via minimal lattice misfit and high-density nanoprecipitation.

Next-generation high-performance structural materials are required for lightweight design strategies and advanced energy applications. Maraging steels, combining a martensite matrix with nanoprecipitates, are a class of high-strength materials with the potential for matching these demands. Their outstanding strength originates from semi-coherent precipitates, which unavoidably exhibit a heterogeneous distribution that creates large coherency strains, which in turn may promote crack initiation under load.