Intermetallic alloys potentially have high strength in
a high-temperature environment. But they generally suffer poor
ductility at ambient and low temperatures, hence limiting their
applications in aerospace and other engineering fields. Yet, a
research team led by scientists of City University of Hong Kong
(CityU) has recently discovered the disordered nanoscale layers at
grain boundaries in the ordered intermetallic alloys. The
nanolayers can not only resolve the irreconcilable conflict between
strength and ductility effectively, but also maintain the alloy’s
strength with an excellent thermal stability at high temperatures.
Designing similar nanolayers may open a pathway for the design of
new structural materials with optimal alloy
properties.
