Abstract
Nanostructuring is a commonly employed method of obtaining superior mechanical properties in metals and alloys. Compared to conventional polycrystalline counterparts, nanostructuring can provide remarkable improvements in yield strength, toughness, fatigue life, corrosion resistance, and hardness, which is attributed to the nano grain size. In this review paper, the current state-of-the-art of synthesis methods of nanocrystalline (NC) materials such as rapid solidification, chemical precipitation, chemical vapor deposition, and mechanical alloying, including high-energy ball milling (HEBM) and cryomilling was elucidated. More specifically, the effect of various process parameters on mechanical properties and microstructural features were explained for a broad range of engineering materials. This study also explains the mechanism of grain strengthening using the Hall-Petch relation and illustrates the effects of post-processing on the grain size and subsequently their properties. This review also reports the applications, challenges, and future scope for the NC materials.
Highlights
Material scientists and engineers have been working with conventional polycrystalline materials for decades
Their analysis confirmed the formation of body-centered cubic (BCC) and face-centered cubic (FCC) nano-scale crystallite structures embedded in the amorphous matrix
Ipatov et al [59] studied the magnetic properties of Ni-based alloys (Ni-Si-B) for low-temperature structural applications synthesized by rapid solidification
Summary
Material scientists and engineers have been working with conventional polycrystalline materials for decades. Due to the diverse applications and working conditions of materials, it is a continuous and demanding requirement to improve upon the mechanical properties of these materials It has attracted a lot of research interest in the past few decades. The principal mechanical properties are governed by the deformation mechanism, which occurs due to the movement of dislocations through crystallographic planes This partial dislocation emission is more prominent at a finer grain size of 10–50 nm [1]. According to the Hall-Petch relationship, the mechanical strength of materials can be increased by reducing the average grain size [2]. Dislocation pile-up is considered thethe primary mechanism plastic flow flow when when the the grain grain size size is is in the micrometer range.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
