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Updated: May 23, 2026
05:04
Determining the Mechanical Strength of Ultra-Fine-Grained Metals
Published on: November 22, 2021
Stacking Fault Energy Engineering as the Pathway to Materials With Exceptional Performance
Jiacheng Yu1, Ran Ding1, Yongchang Liu1
1State Key Laboratory of High Performance Roll Materials and Composite Forming, Tianjin University, Tianjin, P. R. China.
Advanced Materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)
|May 22, 2026
Summary
Stacking fault energy (SFE) is crucial for advanced materials, but predicting it accurately is challenging. This review compares strategies for engineering SFE in metals and ceramics to improve material properties.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Thermodynamics
- Solid State Physics
Background:
- Stacking fault energy (SFE) is a key thermodynamic parameter controlling defect evolution in materials.
- A significant discrepancy exists between theoretically predicted intrinsic SFE (γisf) and experimentally measured apparent SFE (γapp), which is influenced by microstructure and chemistry.
- Tailoring SFE strategies vary significantly between metallic and non-metallic material systems.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review fundamental physical frameworks of SFE engineering.
- To compare SFE tailoring strategies and their mechanical impacts in metallic and non-metallic systems.
- To guide the design of next-generation structural materials by understanding SFE manipulation.
Main Methods:
- Review of first-principles calculations and experimental measurements of SFE.
- Analysis of SFE engineering approaches in metallic alloys (high and medium entropy alloys) focusing on alloying and chemical ordering.
- Examination of SFE manipulation in non-metallic materials (oxides, ceramics) via defect chemistry, interfacial templating, and non-equilibrium processing.
Main Results:
- First-principles calculations of intrinsic SFE often differ from experimentally observed apparent SFE due to microstructural and chemical factors.
- SFE engineering in metallic alloys primarily involves macroscopic alloying and altering the generalized stacking fault energy (GSFE) landscape.
- In non-metallic materials, SFE is engineered by manipulating defect chemistry and utilizing interfacial templating and non-equilibrium processing to overcome brittleness.
Conclusions:
- Effective SFE engineering requires distinct approaches for metallic and non-metallic materials.
- Understanding the interplay between SFE, microstructure, and processing is vital for designing materials with improved strength and ductility.
- This review provides a comparative analysis to inform future material design strategies.
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