ADVANCED MATERIALS & PROCESSES | MAY/JUNE 2025 6 METALS | POLYMERS | CERAMICS Grand View Research released a report estimating the global nickel mining market at $50.4 billion in 2022 with a CAGR of 6.6% through 2030. Over two-thirds of the world’s nickel is used to make stainless steel, with construction and equipment sales spurring growth in this market. grandviewresearch.com. turn saltwater and iron oxide into pure iron metal. In his team’s latest work, they optimized the starting materials for the process for potential use at an industrial scale. When the scientists began developing their process a few years ago, they started with small quantities of iron oxides from chemical supply companies. Those materials worked well in lab tests, but did not reflect the kind of iron-rich materials found naturally. As the team experimented with different kinds of iron oxides, it was clear that some worked much better than others. The new research suggests that the surface area of the starting materials is critical. The porous nanoparticles had much more surface area for the reaction to take place, making it run faster. Other iron oxides with a porous structure could also be cost-effective. “The goal is to find something that’s abundant, cheap, and that’s going to have a smaller environmental impact TINY TWEAKS HELP METALS WITHSTAND IMPACTS A research team led by Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y., developed a method to design metals that can withstand extreme impacts—by adding nanometer-scale speed bumps that suppress a fundamental transition that controls how metallic materials deform. The findings could lead to cars, aircraft, and armor that can survive high-speed impacts, extreme heat, and stress. During rapid strains, dislocations in metals accelerate and begin interacting with phonons, which create substantial resistance. This is when a thermally activated glide transitions to a ballistic transport, leading to significant drag and embrittlement. The Cornell team worked with the Army Research Laboratory to create a nanocrystalline alloy, copper-tantalum (Cu-3Ta). The grains are so small that the dislocations’ movement would be inherently limited and further confined by the inclusion of nanometer clusters of tantalum inside the grains. To test the material, the team used a tabletop platform to launch spherical 10-µm microprojectiles that reach speeds of up to 1 km per second. Impact was recorded by a high-speed camera. Researchers ran the experiment with pure copper, then with copper-tantalum. In a conventional metal or alloy, dislocations can travel for several dozen µm without any barriers. But in nanocrystalline copper-tantalum, the dislocations could barely move more than a few nanometers before they were stopped in their tracks. Embrittlement was effectively suppressed. cornell.edu. GREENER WAY TO MAKE IRON FOR STEEL Researchers at the University of Oregon, Eugene, are developing a greener way to make iron for steel production. Last year, chemist Paul Kempler reported a way to create iron with electrochemistry using a series of chemical reactions that Copper and Brass Sales, a division of thyssenkrupp Materials North America, leased an 8000-m2 plant in Santa Teresa, N.M., to process metal for power distribution components. The center will focus on complex cutting, kitting, and just-in-time services. thyssenkrupp-materialsservices.com. BRIEFS This laser confocal microscopy reconstruction shows the impression of a spherical microprojectile impact. Courtesy of Cornell Engineering. In Paul Kempler’s lab, an electrochemical process is used to produce decarbonized iron. Courtesy of University of Oregon.
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