Amorphization-templated nanocrystallization endows TiNi alloys with ultrahigh strength and programmable superelasticity
The concurrent achievement of high strength, ductility, and superelasticity in metals remains a grand challenge. Conventional TiNi alloys, although superelastic, suffer from low strength and modest superelasticity. Here, we report a bulk nanostructuring strategy that not only overcomes these limitations but also enables programmable mechanical response. By combining moderate cryogenic deformation to create a bulk amorphous precursor with pulsed electric current–driven nanocrystallization, we produce a Ti 49 Ni 51 alloy that exhibits an exceptional combination of properties: a tensile strength over 2 gigapascals (GPa), ductility up to 12%, and a giant recoverable strain of 9%. The enhanced functionality stems from a nanoscale martensitic transformation that proceeds sequentially across nanograins of varying sizes, rather than simultaneously as in coarse-grained materials. This mechanism allows the superelastic response to be tunable, offering tailored stress-strain curves with adjustable transformation stresses and shapes ranging from plateau-like to linear. Our amorphization-templated nanocrystallization method is potentially scalable and bridges the gap between ultrastrong structural materials and advanced functional applications.
Authors
- Ruhao Zhou
- Dechang Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0000-2462-5396)
- Bo Sun (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1932-2267)
- Robert O. Ritchie (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0501-6998)
- Xiao Liang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5738-2837)
- Ruixiao Zheng (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6842-1819)
- Nithin B. Venkataraman (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2544-0910)
- Cheng Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4790-9188)
- Marc A. Meyers (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1698-5396)
- Shiteng Zhao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4828-9651)
- Chang Lü (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0103-3985)
- Hanqi Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0009-9249-1524)
- Yu Deng (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5603-2859)
- Qianyong Zhu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5313-7823)
- Yin Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9194-2233)
- Ran Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5813-5755)
- Zhijian Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2929-8376)
- Hongliang Dong (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6796-0389)
- Zhiwei Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0006-6510-4670)
- Hongbo Guo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2441-813X)
- Xinqing Zhao
- Xichen Zhou
Institutions
- Tescan (Czechia) (CZ)
- Peking University (CN)
- University of California San Diego (US)
- Shanghai Advanced Research Institute (CN)
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures (CN)
- Center for High Pressure Science and Technology Advanced Research (CN)
- Tianmushan Laboratory (CN)
- Beihang University (CN)
- University of California, Berkeley (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Science Advances
- Published
- 2026-08-26
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aee6666
- Primary Topic
- Shape Memory Alloy Transformations
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- National Natural Science Foundation of China
- Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities
- Natural Science Foundation of Zhejiang Province