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Nanostructured materials are increasingly becoming a prevalent option for technological innovation. In particular, nanostructured metallic materials, or nanocrystalline alloys, are of particular interest due to their particularly attractive properties, such as high strength and hardness, excellent corrosion resistance, and low thermal expansion. Within nanostructured alloys, there are two types of structures: nanocrystalline and amorphous.
Nanocrystalline alloys are metal alloys that are characterized by grains that are smaller than 100 nanometers in diameter. Although these particles are small, they are still crystalline. This means that they are made up of regularly repeating atoms that form repeating patterns in a three-dimensional space. The small size of these grains means that they have higher strength-to-weight ratios than their conventional counterparts, providing enhanced mechanical properties. Furthermore, due to their large surface area and the small grain size, the alloys’ alloying elements can more effectively influence the microstructure, allowing for improved strength and ductility of materials.
Amorphous alloys, on the other hand, have no regularly repeating pattern of atoms and thus, are “amorphous”. Amorphous alloys are formed through rapid cooling of the liquid above its supercooling point, leading to a solidification that occurs before crystal formation can begin. Due to their lack of a regular, periodic structure, amorphous alloys are very soft and ductile and have good corrosion resistance.
Nanocrystalline and amorphous alloys can both lend different properties to materials, but their optimal physical, chemical, and electrical properties depend heavily on the alloy’s overall microstructure. It is thus important to understand how variations in the microstructure can affect the material’s properties. One way to gain insight into this is to investigate the solute-stabilized nano-structured alloys, or “confined solid solutions”. These materials are metallic alloys in which the solutes are confined to small regions within the structure of the grain, resulting in modified microstructure and thus improved mechanical and electrochemical properties.
Two types of confined solid solutions have been well-studied: grain boundary segregated and solid-solution segregated types. In grain boundary segregated systems, the alloying elements are primarily concentrated along the grain boundaries, whereas in solid-solution segregated systems, the alloying elements are homogeneously distributed in the grains.
Each of these types of alloys has unique properties, and thus can be used in different applications. For example, the grain boundary segregated alloys are known to have superior corrosion resistance in highly alkaline solutions, while the solid-solution segregated alloys tend to have better ductility and strength.
Because of their increased strength and improved corrosion resistance, nanostructured alloys are increasingly being used in a variety of industrial applications, such as high-strength automotive components, marine coatings, and medical implants. Further refinements in the microstructure may give rise to even more impressive properties, allowing for nanostructured alloys to continue to move from lab to market.