Metals and alloys articles from across Nature Portfolio

The surface chemical ordering in high entropy alloys is revealed by the surface sensitive imaging tool - scanning tunneling microscopy – which is enabled by the subtle differences in the partial density of states among different elements.

Leveraging multi-element symbiosis, protective interfacial nanolayers are engineered in an intermetallic alloy. This results in a high fatigue limit of ~1,100 MPa, far exceeding that of conventional intermetallic alloys.

High-strength lightweight steels are vital for saving energy and enhancing safety in engineering applications. Here, the authors tune atomic-scale strain waves in a steel alloy to expand dislocation storage capacity, significantly enhancing strength-ductility synergy.

A hierarchical microstructure is important for the fatigue performance of titanium alloys, and is usually achieved by successive rounds of nucleation. Here, intermediate temperature deformation causes nucleation of nanoscale HCP precipitates between micron-thick plates, enhancing high-cycle fatigue strength.

Metallic materials are generally efficient sound conductors. Yuqi Jin and colleagues introduce an approach utilizing laser powder bed fusion printed CrMnFeCoNi high entropy alloy samples with optimized intrinsic internal voids during manufacturing to achieve broadband acoustic insulation.

An article in Nature Communications presents a scalable one-step process that turns compositionally mixed automotive aluminium scrap into high-strength, high-ductility sheet.

A martensitic medium-entropy alloy surpasses the long-standing strength–ductility ceiling of conventional ultrahigh-strength steels. The strengthening without sacrificing ductility originates from Mo–B–C interface complexes that stabilize small-angle grain boundaries.

A phase-change material enables in-memory computing by well-controlled multilevel switching without resistance drift.

High-entropy alloys were once thought to owe their exceptional properties to complete chemical disorder, but advances over the past decade revealed that subtle forms of atomic order are widespread and often essential. Recognizing how order and disorder work together is now reshaping alloy design and opening new routes to stronger, tougher and more reliable materials.

Despite transformative advances in materials discovery, real-world performance still hinges on an often-overlooked variable: processing. To bridge the gap between discovery and deployment, processing must be elevated from an afterthought to a central pillar in design frameworks, data generation and machine learning.