3-D printed ultrastrong heat-resistant aluminum alloy achieved by bioinspired nanoscale amorphous confinement

Abstract

The high-temperature applications of aluminum alloys are constrained by their poor thermal stability, high creep susceptibility, and limited strength at elevated temperatures. Traditional dispersion strengthening has encountered inherent limitations in overcoming these challenges. Here, we introduce a bioinspired nanoscale confinement strategy realized by engineering a continuous three-dimensional crystalline-amorphous interpenetrating network structure, reminiscent of those found in natural biological materials. This strategy is implemented in an additively manufactured aluminum alloy, providing stringent spatial confinement that effectively impedes dislocation motion, grain-boundary migration, and atomic diffusion. In addition to good printability, the as-printed alloy achieves ultrahigh strength at room temperature to elevated temperatures, superior creep resistance, and outstanding thermal stability – a synergistic combination of properties that markedly outperforms previously reported materials. This work demonstrates the concept of strengthening materials by utilizing a continuous nanoscale amorphous network, rather than dispersed particles, through harnessing the nanoscale confinement effect inspired by Nature.