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Updated: Jan 20, 2026
Processing of Bulk Nanocrystalline Metals at the US Army Research Laboratory
Published on: March 7, 2018
Bulk ultrafine grained/nanocrystalline metals via slow cooling
Chezheng Cao1,2, Gongcheng Yao1,2, Lin Jiang3,4
1Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
Abstract:
Cooling, nucleation, and phase growth are ubiquitous processes in nature. Effective control of nucleation and phase growth is of significance to yield refined microstructures with enhanced performance for materials. Recent studies reveal that ultrafine grained (UFG)/nanocrystalline metals exhibit extraordinary properties. However, conventional microstructure refinement methods, such as fast cooling and inoculation, have reached certain fundamental limits. It has been considered impossible to fabricate bulk UFG/nanocrystalline metals via slow cooling. Here, we report a new discovery that nanoparticles can refine metal grains to ultrafine/nanoscale by instilling a continuous nucleation and growth control mechanism during slow cooling. The bulk UFG/nanocrystalline metal with nanoparticles also reveals an unprecedented thermal stability. This method overcomes the grain refinement limits and may be extended to any other processes that involve cooling, nucleation, and phase growth for widespread applications.
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