Freestanding nanowires have ultrahigh elastic strain limits (4 to 7%) and yield strengths, but exploiting their intrinsic mechanical properties in bulk composites has proven to be difficult. We exploited the intrinsic mechanical properties of nanowires in a phase-transforming matrix based on the concept of elastic and transformation strain matching. By engineering the microstructure and residual stress to couple the true elasticity of Nb nanowires with the pseudoelasticity of a NiTi shape-memory alloy, we developed an in situ composite that possesses a large quasi-linear elastic strain of over 6%, a low Young's modulus of ~28 gigapascals, and a high yield strength of ~1.65 gigapascals. Our elastic strain-matching approach allows the exceptional mechanical properties of nanowires to be exploited in bulk materials.

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This study investigated the effect of internal stress coupling on the deformation behavior of a NiTi matrix-Nb nanowire composite. It is found that residual internal stresses between the nanowires and matrix was created due to the mismatch between the elastic recovery strain of the Nb nanowires and the phase transformation strain of the NiTi matrix. These internal stresses affect the deformation behavior in subsequent deformation cycles, and the effect is dependent on the volume fraction of the nanowires.

Individual metallic nanowires can sustain ultralarge elastic strains of 4-7%. However, achieving and retaining elastic strains of such magnitude in kilogram-scale nanowires are challenging. Here, we find that under active load, ∼ 5.6% elastic strain can be achieved in Nb nanowires embedded in a metallic matrix deforming by detwinning. Moreover, large tensile (2.8%) and compressive (-2.4%) elastic strains can be retained in kilogram-scale Nb nanowires when the external load was fully removed, and adjustable in magnitude by processing control. It is then demonstrated that the retained tensile elastic strains of Nb nanowires can increase their superconducting transition temperature and critical magnetic field, in comparison with the unstrained original material. This study opens new avenues for retaining large and tunable elastic strains in great quantities of nanowires and elastic-strain-engineering at industrial scale.

a b s t r a c tMicrostructure evolution of a cold-drawn NiTi shape memory alloy wire was investigated by means of insitu synchrotron high-energy X-ray diffraction during continuous heating. The cold-drawn wire contained amorphous regions and nano-crystalline domains in its microstructure. Pair distribution function analysis revealed that the amorphous regions underwent structural relaxation via atomic rearrangement when heated above 100 C. The nano-crystalline domains were found to exhibit a strong cold work induced lattice strain anisotropy along 〈111〉, which coincides with the crystallographic fiber orientation of the domains along the wire axial direction. The lattice strain anisotropy systematically decreased upon heating above 200 C, implying a structural recovery. Crystallization of the amorphous phase led to a broadening of the angular distribution of 〈111〉 preferential orientations of grains along the axial direction as relative to the original 〈111〉 axial fiber texture of the nanocrystalline domains produced by the severe cold wire drawing deformation.

a b s t r a c tThis study explored a novel intermetallic composite design concept based on the principle of lattice strain matching enabled by the collective atomic load transfer. It investigated the hard-soft microscopic deformation behavior of a Ti 3 Sn/TiNi eutectic hard-soft dual phase composite by means of in situ synchrotron high-energy X-ray diffraction (HE-XRD) during compression. The composite provides a unique micromechanical system with distinctive deformation behaviors and mechanisms from the two components, with the soft TiNi matrix deforming in full compliance via martensite variant reorientation and the hard Ti 3 Sn lamellae deforming predominantly by rigid body rotation, producing a crystallographic texture for the TiNi matrix and a preferred alignment for the Ti 3 Sn lamellae. HE-XRD reveals continued martensite variant reorientation during plastic deformation well beyond the stress plateau of TiNi. The hard and brittle Ti 3 Sn is also found to produce an exceptionally large elastic strain of 1.95% in the composite. This is attributed to the effect of lattice strain matching between the transformation lattice distortion of the TiNi matrix and the elastic strain of Ti 3 Sn lamellae. With such unique micromechanic characteristics, the composite exhibits high strength and large ductility.

Creating highly active and stable metal catalysts is a persistent goal in the field of heterogeneous catalysis. However, a real catalyst can rarely achieve both of these qualities simultaneously due to limitations in the design of the active site and support. One method to circumvent this problem is to fabricate firmly attached metal species onto the voids of a mesoporous support formed simultaneously. In this study, we developed a new type of ruthenium catalyst that was firmly confined by ordered mesoporous carbons through the fabrication of a cubic Ia3d chitosan-ruthenium-silica mesophase before pyrolysis and silica removal. This facile method generates fine ruthenium nanoparticles (ca. 1.7 nm) that are homogeneously dispersed on a mesoporous carbonaceous framework. This ruthenium catalyst can be recycled 22 times without any loss of reactivity, showing the highest stability of any metal catalysts; this catalyst displays a high activity (23.3 molLAh−1gmetal−1) during the catalytic hydrogenation of levulinic acid (LA) when the metal loading is 6.1 wt%. Even at an ultralow loading (0.3 wt%), this catalyst still outperforms the most active known Ru/C catalyst. This work reveals new possibilities for designing and fabricating highly stable and active metal catalysts by creating metal sites and mesoporous supports simultaneously.

This study investigated the effect of nanograins size on the R-phase transformation of a nanocrystalline Ti-50.2at%Ni alloy. The nanometric grain size was created by severe cold deformation and low temperature anneal. It was found that in the recrystallized state, nanograin sizes (<100 nm) was effective in suppressing the B2→B19' martensitic transformation and revealing the B2↔R transformation. The B2↔R transformation temperature was found to increase with decreasing grain size within the range of 22-155 nm.