TY - JOUR
T1 - Strong yet ductile heat-resistant aluminum alloy by additive manufacturing
AU - Li, Gan
AU - Huang, Yuhe
AU - Zhao, Chunlu
AU - He, Xi
AU - Wang, Shuo
AU - Tan, Qiyang
AU - Li, Ying
AU - Lyu, Fucong
AU - Feng, Guanghui
AU - Luan, Junhua
AU - Hu, Wanqian
AU - Li, Zhenmin
AU - Li, Xinggang
AU - Xu, Yanjin
AU - Zeng, Yuansong
AU - Li, Zhiqiang
AU - Mao, Xinping
AU - Zhang, Ming Xing
AU - Qi, Lehua
AU - Zhu, Qiang
AU - Lu, Jian
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2026.
PY - 2026/12
Y1 - 2026/12
N2 - Aluminum (Al) alloys are pivotal structural materials, indispensable for advanced energy-saving solutions and lightweight technologies. However, the limited heat resistance and low critical strength of the present commercial Al alloys at elevated temperatures (300–400 °C) have constrained their broader applications. Here, we present a facile strategy to additively manufacture strong yet ductile heat-resistant Al alloys using laser powder bed fusion (PBF-LB). By embedding heat-resistant multicomponent intermetallic nanophases (HMINPs) at the solidified cell boundaries, the as-printed alloy forms thermally stable cellular structures containing a high-volume fraction (~14 vol%) of HMINPs. Without any additional post-treatment, our as-printed Al alloy exhibits an average room-temperature tensile strength of 582 MPa, combined with a tensile strength of 114 MPa and exceptional creep resistance at 400 °C. The partial solid-state amorphization of the HMINPs during tensile straining at 300–400 °C creates a nano-dual-phase glass–crystal structure, providing an additional toughening mechanism. This HMINP strategy and PBF-LB’s freeform manufacturing capability enable large-scale industrial use of our high-performance Al alloy, holding great promise for advancing energy efficiency, carbon neutrality, and sustainable manufacturing.
AB - Aluminum (Al) alloys are pivotal structural materials, indispensable for advanced energy-saving solutions and lightweight technologies. However, the limited heat resistance and low critical strength of the present commercial Al alloys at elevated temperatures (300–400 °C) have constrained their broader applications. Here, we present a facile strategy to additively manufacture strong yet ductile heat-resistant Al alloys using laser powder bed fusion (PBF-LB). By embedding heat-resistant multicomponent intermetallic nanophases (HMINPs) at the solidified cell boundaries, the as-printed alloy forms thermally stable cellular structures containing a high-volume fraction (~14 vol%) of HMINPs. Without any additional post-treatment, our as-printed Al alloy exhibits an average room-temperature tensile strength of 582 MPa, combined with a tensile strength of 114 MPa and exceptional creep resistance at 400 °C. The partial solid-state amorphization of the HMINPs during tensile straining at 300–400 °C creates a nano-dual-phase glass–crystal structure, providing an additional toughening mechanism. This HMINP strategy and PBF-LB’s freeform manufacturing capability enable large-scale industrial use of our high-performance Al alloy, holding great promise for advancing energy efficiency, carbon neutrality, and sustainable manufacturing.
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105041428406
U2 - 10.1038/s41467-026-71926-7
DO - 10.1038/s41467-026-71926-7
M3 - Article
C2 - 41986326
AN - SCOPUS:105041428406
SN - 2041-1723
VL - 17
JO - Nature Communications
JF - Nature Communications
IS - 1
M1 - 5230
ER -