One step from oxides to sustainable bulk alloys
Shaolou Wei, Yan Ma, Dierk Raabe
Abstract
Abstract Metallurgical production traditionally involves three steps: extracting metals from ores, mixing them into alloys by liquid processing and thermomechanical processing to achieve the desired microstructures 1,2 . This sequential approach, practised since the Bronze Age, reaches its limit today because of the urgent demand for a sustainable economy 2–5 : almost 10% of all greenhouse gas emissions are because of the use of fossil reductants and high-temperature metallurgical processing. Here we present a H 2 -based redox synthesis and compaction approach that reforms traditional alloy-making by merging metal extraction, alloying and thermomechanical processing into one single solid-state operation. We propose a thermodynamically informed guideline and a general kinetic conception to dissolve the classical boundaries between extractive and physical metallurgy, unlocking tremendous sustainable bulk alloy design opportunities. We exemplify this approach for the case of Fe–Ni invar bulk alloys 6,7 , one of the most appealing ferrous materials but the dirtiest to produce: invar shows uniquely low thermal expansion 6,8,9 , enabling key applications spanning from precision instruments to cryogenic components 10–13 . Yet, it is notoriously eco-unfriendly, with Ni causing more than 10 times higher CO 2 emission than Fe per kilogram production 2,14 , qualifying this alloy class as a perfect demonstrator case. Our sustainable method turns oxides directly into green alloys in bulk forms, with application-worthy properties, all obtained at temperatures far below the bulk melting point, while maintaining a zero CO 2 footprint.