Giant linear elasticity with exceptional energy storage capacity in bulk multicomponent alloys

Metals with a large linear elastic strain are highly demanded for high-precision actuation, high-efficiency mechanical energy storage and emerging “elastic strain engineering”. However, the linear elastic strain of bulk crystalline metals is usually limited to less than 0.5 %. Here, we report a giant linear elasticity with a strain as high as ∼4 % in a bulk crystalline Ti-Zr-V-Ni-Cu-W multicomponent alloy, which represents the highest linear elastic strain in bulk crystalline metals. This elasticity is strictly linear, absolutely hysteresis free, cyclically stable for 100,000 loading–unloading cycles, and achievable in the broad temperature range 300–523 K. Remarkably, this unprecedented linear elasticity endows an exceptional mechanical energy storage capacity of ∼48 MJ/m³ with almost 100 % energy storage efficiency, being at least one order of magnitude higher than that of commercialized spring steels. The giant linear elasticity is attributed to the synergy of confined growth of nanodomains and large elastic deformation of matrix. This work opens a new horizon for designing advanced high-performance ultraelastic metals.