Innovations and Commercialization of UFG Materials

Ultrafine-grained (UFG) materials are innovative and quite promising for wide application. The important advantage associated with the use and commercialization of UFG materials includes first of all their advanced properties, also production efficiency is important due to the development of new SPD technique. This chapter discusses the innovative potential and practical applications of UFG materials. Titanium implants made of nanoTi are promising for dentistry and orthopedics. UFG copper alloys can be used for making electrodes for welding. UFG composites based on copper matrix and WС are attractive for manufacturing current carrying cores, electric motors, contact wires. Nanocrystalline alloy Cu–10 at.% Ta is an exciting example illustrating the possibility of increasing thermal stability at elevated temperatures by creating clusters of the alloying element on the grain boundaries, preventing their migration. Another example of successful production of aluminum alloy 6101 wires with improved mechanical properties and high electrical conductivity by SPD processing has been demonstrated. The prospects of using UFG metallic alloys as promising materials for hydrogen storage and transportation have been analyzed. Manifestations of the shape memory effect are of great interest for the use of UFG alloys in medicine, as a material for joining pipes and other practical applications. Nanostructured magnetic materials are promising for the creation of new high-speed electric machines with high strength and less energy dissipation. The small grain size not only provides increased strength but also preserves the homogeneous microstructure and isotropic properties while miniaturizing products.