Fig. 6: Damascus-like nanolamellar heterogeneous microstructures.

The CuAuAg MEA exhibits a four-tiered structural hierarchy that mirrors the length-complexity scaling with Damascus-like, multiple-layer, heterogeneous microstructures: at the macroscale (20-100 µm), alternating Cu-rich and Ag-rich lamellae assemble into a linear composite reminiscent of Damascus patterning; at the mesoscale (100 nm-1 µm), phase separation produces an interwoven soft-hard morphology; at the nanoscale (5–20 nm), ordered L1₂ intermetallic precipitates introduce nonlinear strengthening; and at the atomic/picometer scale (1–10 Å), CSRO within both the FCC matrix and L1₂ precipitates yields exponential complexity. Together, these hierarchical features produce a layered microstructure with intricate phase distributions and synergistic hardening mechanisms, imparting the CuAuAg MEA with balanced strength and ductility.