Materials // Stable Nanocrystalline Metals © Based on Material by David L. Chandler, MIT, USA

MIT researchers have designed and made alloys that form extremely tiny grains – called nanocrystals – that are only a few billionths of a meter across. These alloys retain their nanocrystalline structure even in the face of high heat. Such materials hold great promise for high-strength structural materials, among other potential uses. The tungsten-titanium material that Chookajorn synthesized, which has grains just 20nm across, remained stable for a full week at a temperature of 1,100° Celsius (2,012° F).

Tongjai Chookajorn, Heather A. Murdoch, and Christopher A. Schuh: Design of Stable Nanocrystalline Alloys, In: Science, Vol. 337, No. 6097, August 24, 2012, Pages 951-954, DOI: 10.1126/science.1224737: http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.1224737

http://dmse.mit.edu/faculty/profile/schuh

Image: A transition electron microscope image of the structure of the new tungsten-titanium alloy, after being exposed to a high temperature of 1,100 degrees Celsius for a week. The image shows that the alloy retains its nano-crystalline structure even after this heat treatment. © Chookajorn et al, from Science