A New Alloy 6–10 Times Stronger Than Steel and Yet Ductile

A group led by Xinhang Zhang at Purdue University demonstrated how to overcome this problem using a cobalt–aluminum intermetallic (CoAl). Instead of traditional casting, they used magnetron sputtering. This method makes it possible to create the material from the vapor phase while introducing a large number of dislocations—microscopic defects in the crystal lattice that allow the metal to deform plastically rather than fracture.

Additionally, the researchers formed a “framework of amorphous interfaces”—flexible boundaries between layers that partially crystallize during deformation and help generate new dislocations. The result was a nanolaminate with a yield strength of about 6 GPa and plastic deformation up to 15% at room temperature.

The authors describe this balance as one of the best among intermetallics to date. The next step is to transfer the principle to bulk materials and test it on other intermetallics. If successful, such alloys could withstand higher loads and temperatures in aerospace and energy systems.

Sources:

1. Purdue University. "This new alloy is up to 10 times stronger than steel and surprisingly flexible." ScienceDaily (July 30, 2026).
2. Xu K. et al. "Plasticity in brittle intermetallics enabled by framework of amorphous interfaces and preexisting dislocations." Science Advances (2026). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aeb0766.

Author: Maksim Aleksandrovich Erdyakov.