Heterostructured materials: superior properties from hetero-zone interaction
Yuntian Zhu, Kei Ameyama, Peter M. Anderson, Irene J. Beyerlein, Huajian Gao, Hyoung Seop Kim, Enrique J. Lavernia, Suveen N. Mathaudhu, H. Mughrabi, Robert O. Ritchie, Nobuhiro Tsuji, Xiangyi Zhang, Xiaolei Wu
Abstract
Heterostructured materials are an emerging class of materials with superior performances that are unattainable by their conventional homogeneous counterparts. They consist of heterogeneous zones with dramatic (>100%) variations in mechanical and/or physical properties. The interaction in these hetero-zones produces a synergistic effect where the integrated property exceeds the prediction by the rule-of-mixtures. The heterostructured materials field explores heterostructures to control defect distributions, long-range internal stresses, and nonlinear inter-zone interactions for unprecedented performances. This paper is aimed to provide perspectives on this novel field, describe the state-of-the-art of heterostructured materials, and identify and discuss key issues that deserve additional studies.