Nanometals refer to metal materials with a size at the nanometer level (1 nanometer = 10 -9 meters), which have many properties that are different from conventional metals, such as high strength, high conductivity, high ductility, high catalysis, etc. Nanometals have a wide range of applications and great potential in the fields of information technology, energy technology, biomedicine, and environmental engineering.
Huang Xiaoxu's team from the School of Materials Science and Engineering of Chongqing University is a leading team in nanometal research in China, and they have been engaged in the electron microscopy characterization and strengthening mechanism of nanometals, and have discovered some physical phenomena presented by nanometals that are different from conventional metals, such as the heating and softening of nanometals, and proposed process measures to optimize the properties of nanometals. In recent years, relying on the Electron Microscopy Center of Chongqing University, the team has presided over and undertaken the special projects of the National Key R&D Program. A series of major national research projects, such as the National Major Scientific Instrument Development Project, independently developed the world's first three-dimensional transmission electron microscope with three-dimensional crystallography analysis function and three-dimensional reconstruction function of diffraction image, realized the three-dimensional quantitative analysis of nanomaterial structural parameters and the integrated characterization of three-dimensional morphology and crystallography of internal dislocation structure of materials for the first time in the world, and achieved a major breakthrough in the new principles and equipment of three-dimensional characterization based on transmission electron microscopy.
The team's latest research results were published in the top international academic journal Nature, titled "High-pressure strengthening of ultrafine-grained tungsten". The high-pressure deformation behavior of ultra-fine grain tungsten was systematically characterized and analyzed by three-dimensional transmission electron microscopy technology, and the strengthening mechanism of ultra-fine grain tungsten under high pressure was discovered, that is, the migration and rotation of grain boundaries under high pressure led to the randomization of grain refinement and orientation, thereby improving the yield strength and plasticity of ultrafine grain tungsten. This study reveals the deformation mechanism of nanometals under high pressure conditions, and provides a new idea for the development of new high-performance metal materials.
I believe that the new breakthrough made by the team in the field of nanometal research is the result of Chongqing University's strategic layout and continuous investment in materials science, and it is also the embodiment of the team's wisdom and efforts. These achievements not only provide new impetus and opportunities for China's scientific and technological innovation and industrial development, but also contribute to the progress and well-being of human society. It is hoped that the team can continue to strengthen the basic and applied research in the field of nanometals, promote the industrialization and marketization of nanometals, and realize the greater value and wider application of nanometals. At the same time, it is also hoped that the team can strengthen cooperation and exchanges with the international community, jointly promote the development and innovation of nanotechnology, and contribute to the construction of a community with a shared future for mankind.