A research team from Xi'an Jiaotong University (XJTU), led by Professors Wu Ge and Shan Zhiwei from the State Key Laboratory for Mechanical Behavior of Materials and CAMP-Nano, designed an innovative nanostructure that combines short-range ordered (SRO) interfaces with supra-nano precipitates, thus addressing the difficulty of maintaining strain-hardening capacity and improving uniform elongation in ultra-strong alloys with tensile strength exceeding 2.5 GPa.

The research was published in Science under the title "Ductilization of 2.6-GPa alloys via short-range ordered interfaces and supra-nano precipitates", with Wu Ge as the corresponding author of the paper, XJTU PhD student Yan Yongqiang as the first author, and research assistant Cha Wenhao as a co-first author of the paper.

The achievement is the result of collaboration between Academician Lyu Jian from City University of Hong Kong and Professors Liu Chang and Liu Sida from XJTU.

The concept of supra-nano was introduced by Wu Ge and Lyu Jian in a joint paper published in Nature, referring to structural features smaller than 10 nanometers. 

Their study introduces a novel design that combines SRO near grain boundaries and supra-nano precipitates inside FCC grains to enhance both strength and ductility in alloys. By aggregating SRO near grain boundaries, the alloy achieves a significant increase in yield strength (2.2 GPa) and prevents interface cracking. The supra-nano precipitate phase (S-L1₂) inside the grains strengthens the alloy by pinning dislocations, improving strain-hardening capacity. 

This combined approach leads to an alloy with a tensile strength of 2.6 GPa and 10 percent uniform elongation, marking a breakthrough in the quest to achieve ultra-high strength and excellent ductility.