Towards understanding the structure-property relationships of heterogeneous-structured materials

Heterogeneous-structured materials are a new class of metallic materials that have recently emerged due to development of advanced processing and structural/architectural design techniques. These materials are made of heterogeneous domains having different constitutive behaviors and achieve superior mechanical properties, such as extra strengthening and work hardening, that are not accessible to conventional homogeneous-structured materials. Here we review recent experimental, theoretical and computational studies on microstructures, mechanical properties and deformation behaviors of heterogeneousstructured metals/alloys, highlighting the relationships between structural heterogeneity and mechanical property improvements, as well as some perspectives towards achieving fundamental understanding of plastic deformation based on strain gradient theory. (C) 2020 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.