Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Polymer Classification: Crystallinity

Polymer Classification: Crystallinity

Unlike ionic or small covalent molecules, polymers do not form crystalline solids due to the diffusion limitations of their long-chain structures. However, polymers contain microscopic crystalline domains separated by amorphous domains.
Crystalline domains are the regions where polymer chains are aligned in an orderly manner and held together in proximity by intermolecular forces. For example, chains in the crystalline domains of polyethylene and nylon are bound together by van der Waals...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

A "high-entropy + dilute" design strategy delivers a strong and ductile refractory alloy from 77 to 1,373 K.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026

Same author

Bi-layer photonic random meta-composite for cryogenic thermal control by ultra-broadband scattering matched reflectance.

Light, science & applications·2026

Same author

Ductile alloys offering 100 MPa tensile strength at 2,400 °C.

Nature·2026

Same author

Negative-curvature interfaces enable highly synergistic strength-ductility-toughness at 77 K.

Nature communications·2026

Same author

When glass relaxation is governed by chemical bonding heterogeneity.

National science review·2026

Same author

Multiscale fatigue crack initiation in hierarchical additively manufactured alloys.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 13, 2025

Negative Additive Manufacturing of Complex Shaped Boron Carbides

Negative Additive Manufacturing of Complex Shaped Boron Carbides

Published on: September 18, 2018

Dispersion hardening using amorphous nanoparticles deployed via additive manufacturing.

Ge Wang¹, Yin Zhang², Jian Liu³

¹State Key Laboratory of Metal Matrix Composites, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.

Nature Communications

|April 15, 2025

Summary

Researchers developed novel copper nanocomposites using amorphous boron-carbide nanoparticles. This additive manufacturing approach enhances metal strength and ductility by acting as dislocation sinks and promoting uniform plastic flow.

More Related Videos

Processing of Bulk Nanocrystalline Metals at the US Army Research Laboratory

Processing of Bulk Nanocrystalline Metals at the US Army Research Laboratory

Published on: March 7, 2018

Characterizing Dissipative Elastic Metamaterials Produced by Additive Manufacturing

Characterizing Dissipative Elastic Metamaterials Produced by Additive Manufacturing

Published on: June 28, 2024

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 13, 2025

Negative Additive Manufacturing of Complex Shaped Boron Carbides

Negative Additive Manufacturing of Complex Shaped Boron Carbides

Published on: September 18, 2018

Processing of Bulk Nanocrystalline Metals at the US Army Research Laboratory

Processing of Bulk Nanocrystalline Metals at the US Army Research Laboratory

Published on: March 7, 2018

Characterizing Dissipative Elastic Metamaterials Produced by Additive Manufacturing

Characterizing Dissipative Elastic Metamaterials Produced by Additive Manufacturing

Published on: June 28, 2024

Area of Science:

Materials Science
Metallurgy
Additive Manufacturing

Background:

Traditional metal strengthening via nanoparticles causes stress concentrations, limiting ductility.
Dislocation blocking by crystalline precipitates leads to crack initiation.
Developing new strengthening mechanisms is crucial for advanced metallic materials.

Purpose of the Study:

To introduce a novel strategy for metal strengthening using dense amorphous nanoparticles.
To demonstrate the fabrication of porosity-free copper-based nanocomposites via laser powder bed fusion.
To investigate the mechanical properties and deformation mechanisms of these novel nanocomposites.

Main Methods:

Utilizing laser powder bed fusion to create copper-based nanocomposites.
Incorporating dense, uniformly distributed amorphous boron-carbide nanoparticles (~47 nm) up to 12% volume fraction.
Employing an in situ nanofragmentation and melt-quench process for nanoparticle integration.

Main Results:

Achieved porosity-free copper nanocomposites with densely distributed amorphous boron-carbide nanoparticles.
Demonstrated amorphous nanoparticles acting as dislocation sinks, alleviating stress concentrations.
The composite exhibited a tensile strength >1 GPa and ~10% elongation, surpassing crystalline counterparts.
Suppressed defect accumulation under cyclic loading, achieving a fatigue strength limit >70% of tensile strength.

Conclusions:

Additive manufacturing with dense amorphous nanoparticles offers a superior strategy for metal strengthening.
This method enhances both strength and ductility while improving fatigue resistance.
The developed nanocomposites show significant potential for applications requiring high-performance metallic materials.