Tough nanostructured metals at cryogenic temperatures

Copper, titanium, and iron with grain sizes of the order of 100 nm were prepared by severe plastic deformation. At 77 K these materials offer very high yield strength coupled with high ductility, uniform tensile strains, and long-term stability. These properties demonstrate a nanomaterials advantage for science and engineering endeavors that employ or encounter cryogenic temperatures. The Figure shows ductile deformation in the nanostructured Fe.