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Materials Science

Two metal alloys developed that stay unbrittle at around minus 253 degrees Celsius

Two experimental niobium-titanium-based alloys showed no brittleness at about minus 253 degrees Celsius. The results were published in Nature.

Bora Haber

· 1 min read

Close-up of a silver microscope with three objective lenses in a blurred laboratory setting.
Microscopes like this are used in laboratories to study the structure of metal alloys (illustrative image). Photo: Temsili görsel

Scientists have developed two metal alloys that keep their resistance to fracture even at very low temperatures. These niobium-titanium-based alloys showed no brittleness at about minus 253 degrees Celsius. The study by researchers from the University of California, Berkeley, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the University of Oxford was published in the journal Nature.

The problem with metals in extreme cold

Metals can lose their ability to bend in extreme cold. A small crack that forms in such conditions can cause the material to break suddenly. The experimental niobium-titanium alloys behaved differently at about minus 253 degrees Celsius.

This does not mean, however, that cooling leaves metals' properties unchanged or makes fracture impossible. The experiments revealed an unusual microscopic process that largely preserves resistance to cracking. The result offers a possible design strategy for structural metals used in extremely cold environments.

Possible uses

Dong Liu of the University of Oxford, one of the study's authors, described the work as a path toward developing structural metals for cryogenic environments, where production and processing take place at very low temperatures. Potential uses for the alloys include energy, transport and aerospace, where components may face harsh temperatures.

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