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Stabilizing nanostructures in metals using grain and twin boundary architectures

Nature Reviews Materials volume 1, Article number: 16019 (2016) Cite this article

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Abstract

Forming alloys with impurity elements is a routine method for modifying the properties of metals. An alternative approach involves the incorporation of interfaces into the crystalline lattice to enhance the metal's properties without changing its chemical composition. The introduction of high-density interfaces in nanostructured materials results in greatly improved strength and hardness; however, interfaces at the nanoscale show low stability. In this Review, I discuss recent developments in the stabilization of nanostructured metals by modifying the architectures of their interfaces. The amount, structure and distribution of several types of interfaces, such as high- and low-angle grain boundaries and twin boundaries, are discussed. I survey several examples of materials with nanotwinned and nanolaminated structures, as well as with gradient nanostructures, describing the techniques used to produce such samples and tracing their exceptional performances back to the nanoscale architectures of their interfaces.

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Figure 1: Grain-size effects on strength, ductility and thermal stability.
Figure 2: Nanoscale twins and twin-boundary strengthening.
Figure 3: Nanotwins in diamond.
Figure 4: Nanolaminated structures in nickel and boundary energy effect on minimum structural size.
Figure 5: Bimetal nanolaminates made of copper–niobium.
Figure 6: Strength–ductility synergy and strain softening and hardening of gradient nanograined structures.

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Acknowledgements

The author thanks the Ministry of Science and Technology of China (Grant 2012CB932201), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grants 51231006), the Danish-Chinese Center for Nanometals (Grants 51261130091 and DNRF86-5) and the Key Research Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant KGZD-EW-T06) for financial support, and X. C. Liu, X. Y. Li and L. Lu for discussions and assistance.

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  1. Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, 110016, China

    K. Lu

  2. Herbert Gleiter Institute of Nanoscience, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, 210094, China

    K. Lu

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Lu, K. Stabilizing nanostructures in metals using grain and twin boundary architectures. Nat Rev Mater 1, 16019 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/natrevmats.2016.19

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