Posted on 03/31/2025 7:11:27 PM PDT by Red Badger
A nanostructured copper alloy, Cu-Ta-Li (Copper-Tantalum-Lithium), could be a groundbreaking new high-temperature material for aerospace, defense, and industrial applications, combining properties of several materials into a useful hybrid.
Developed in a collaboration between the U.S. Army Research Laboratory (ARL) and Lehigh University (LU), the alloy is one of the toughest copper-based materials ever devised due to its high thermal stability and mechanical strength. Arizona State University and Louisiana State University scientists also contributed to the creation of this new heat-resistant alloy.
Cutting Edge Material Science
“This is cutting-edge science, developing a new material that uniquely combines copper’s excellent conductivity with strength and durability on the scale of nickel-based superalloys,” said co-author Martin Harmer of Lehigh University. “It provides industry and the military with the foundation to create new materials for hypersonics and high-performance turbine engines.”
A technique pioneered at LU using a tantalum-rich atomic bilayer complexion forms the basis of the novel material. The complexion stabilizes the nanocrystal structure, mitigating the tendency of grain boundaries to change with heat. This stability dramatically improves material performance as temperatures rise, allowing the material to hold its shape even near it’s melting point.
Combined Nanostructured Traits
The material combines two highly desirable properties: nickel’s thermal properties and copper’s conductivity. Nickel is commonly used in jet engines for its strength, but it lacks efficient conductivity. Tungsten’s heat-resistant properties make it another choice for a nickel replacement, but its density and brittleness make it difficult to manufacture.
Such a fusion opens the door for next-generation heat exchangers, propulsion systems, and heat management, which could be used in missiles and hypersonic vehicles. Cu-Ta-Li will not entirely replace existing alloys but will serve as a complement for certain engineering applications.
Research and Development of Cu-Ta-Li
Employing a process that combined powder metallurgy and high-energy cryogenic milling, the team synthesized the alloy’s nanostructure. Following fabrication, they used advanced microscopy to investigate the material’s Cu₃Li precipitate structure. Their practical testing included 10,000 hours of steady heating at 800°C to confirm the alloy’s longer-term thermal resistance and creep resistance experiments to verify how the material responded to extreme conditions. They also engaged computer models to validate the Ta bilayer complexion’s stabilization properties using density functional theory.
The U.S. patent for the new alloy is currently held by the U.S. Army Research Laboratory. To make the alloy practical for manufacturing use, the research team plans to measure its thermal conductivity for more detailed comparisons. They also seek to apply their techniques to create other heat-resistant alloys in the future.
“This project is a great example of how federal investment in fundamental science drives American leadership in materials technology,” Harmer said. “Scientific discoveries such as this are key to strengthening national security and fueling industrial innovation.”
The paper “A High-temperature Nanostructured Cu-Ta-Li Alloy with Complexion-stabilized Precipitates” appeared on March 28, 2025 in Science.
Ryan Whalen covers science and technology for The Debrief. He holds an MA in History and a Master of Library and Information Science with a certificate in Data Science. He can be contacted at ryan@thedebrief.org, and follow him on Twitter @mdntwvlf.
Kodachrome. It gives you nice bright colors.
L
And insulated coffee cups.
Those were such good days.....
A few years ago I was having a late dinner and I mentioned to my waitress a 70s band that had a local concert.
She then told me that the band would be having dinner at the table next to me in a few minutes.
When they got up after dinner the drummer looked at me, nodded and smiled and I said “Can we go back to when you guys were on the radio? Things were so much better back then!”
And insulated coffee cups.”
.
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YETI says the interiors are brass. (Exteriors are stainless steel).
Copper-beryllium alloys have been used for firing pins...
The new Cu-Ta-Li coffee mugs will be better. :)
I see no reference to fracture toughness.
Lack of fracture toughness is always the achilles heel of these “wonder materials”.
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