Recent research at Harbin Institute of Technology on the synthesis of nanocrystalline and untrafine grained materials by mechanical alloying/milling is reviewed. Examples of the materials include aluminum alloy, copper alloy, magnesium-based hydrogen storage material, and Nd2Fe14B/α-Fe magnetic nanocomposite. Details of the processes of mechanical alloying and consolidation of the mechanically alloyed nanocrystalline powder materials are presented. The microstructure characteristics and properties of the synthesized materials are addressed.

The effect of grain refinement of the strength and ductility of metallic materials is investigated. A model in which a single phase material is considered as an effectively two-phase one is discussed. A distinctive feature of the model is that grain boundaries are treated as a separate phase deforming by a diffusion mechanism. Deformation of the grain interior phase is assumed to be carried by two concurrent mechanism. Deformation of the grain interior phase is assumed to be carried by two concurrent mechanisms: dislocation glide and mass transfer by diffusion. The model was exemplified by simulating uniaxial tensile deformation of Cu down to the nanometer grain size. The results confirm the observed strain hardening behaviour and a trend for reduction of ductility with decreasing grain size at room temperature.

Nanocrystalline materials, with a grain size of typically <100 nm, are a new class of materials with properties vastly different from and often superior to those of the conventional coarse-grained materials. These materials can be synthesized by a number of different techniques and the grain size, morphology, and composition can be controlled by controlling the process parameters. In comparison to the coarse-grained materials, nanocrystalline materials show higher strength and hardness, enhanced diffusivity, improved ductility/toughness, reduced, density, reduced elastic modulus, higher electrical resistivity, increased specific heat, higher coefficient of thermal expansion, lower thermal conductivity, and superior soft and hard magnetic properties. Limited quantities of these materials are presently produced and marketed in the US, Canada, and elsewhere. Applications for these materials are being actively explored. The present article discusses the synthesis, structure, thermal stability, properties, and potential application of nanocrystalline materials.