An isotropic zero thermal expansion alloy with super-high toughness.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 38480744.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-024-46613-0 and PMC identifier 10937970.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Zero thermal expansion (ZTE) alloys with high mechanical response are crucial for their practical usage. Yet, unifying the ZTE behavior and mechanical response in one material is a grand obstacle, especially in multicomponent ZTE alloys. Herein, we report a near isotropic zero thermal expansion (α<sub>l</sub> = 1.10 × 10<sup>-6 </sup>K<sup>-1</sup>, 260-310 K) in the natural heterogeneous LaFe<sub>54</sub>Co<sub>3.5</sub>Si<sub>3.35</sub> alloy, which exhibits a super-high toughness of 277.8 ± 14.7 J cm<sup>-3</sup>. Chemical partition, in the dual-phase structure, assumes the role of not only modulating thermal expansion through magnetic interaction but also enhancing mechanical properties via interface bonding. The comprehensive analysis reveals that the hierarchically synergistic enhancement among lattice, phase interface, and heterogeneous structure is significant for strong toughness. Our findings pave the way to tailor thermal expansion and obtain prominent mechanical properties in multicomponent alloys, which is essential to ultra-stable functional materials.