1. First Bulk Nanocrystalline Metal Phase Transformations and Complex Properties Group
Imagine a material that is cheap, can be made large in all its three dimensions, in huge quantities, has a nanocrystalline structure, and does not require severe processing or dramatic heat treatments during manufacture.
This has been achieved by developing the theory for solid-state phase changes to create a steel which can be transformed at incredibly low temperatures into slender plates of bainitic ferrite, embedded in austenite. The inset shows a typical carbon nanotube for comparison at the same magnification.
For any scale bigger than 2 mm, the steel is stronger than carbon nanotubes and has remarkable ductility and toughness.
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200 Å
Micrographs: Cambridge University and the Science Museum. Inset: Ian Kinloch