Researchers at Brown University have discovered a way to customize metallic grain structures. In their study, published in the Journal,Chem, the researchers developed a method that combines metal nanoclusters together to form solid micro pieces of metal. Follow up tests proved the material was up to four times harder than naturally occurring metal structures.
"Hammering and other hardening methods are all top-down ways of altering grain structure, and it's very hard to control the grain size you end up with," said Ou Chen, an assistant professor of chemistry at Brown and author on the published study. "What we've done is create nanoparticle building blocks that fuse together when you squeeze them. This way we can have uniform grain sizes that can be precisely tuned for enhanced properties."
The researchers designed coins using nanoparticles of gold, silver, palladium and other metals. The function of nano-coins would be ideal for high-performance coating materials and electrodes. The group hopes that their process can be scaled up for ultra-hard metal coatings or industrial applications.
Chen continued, "We think there's a lot of potential here, both for industry and for the scientific research community".
Image Credit: Chen Lab/Brown University