The toughest material on earth

CrCoNi is a metal alloy that is extremely strong and malleable. It could perhaps be used in aerospace engineering...

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay (with added blue filter)

Scientists discovered the greatest toughness ever measured in any material while researching a metal alloy composed of chromium, cobalt, and nickel (CrCoNi).

A metal alloy is basically is a mix of chemical elements of which at least one is a metal.

Here are some key points:

• CrCoNi is both strong and malleable.

• Its strength and malleability improve as it cools unlike the majority of other materials in use.

• The toughness of this metal alloy near liquid helium temperatures (-253 Celsius, -424 Fahrenheit) is as high as 500 megapascals square root meters. To put things into perspective, a piece of silicon has a toughness of one; an aluminum airframe in a passenger airplane: 35; high quality steels: 100.

• Because of such properties, CrCoNi could be a great candidate for aerospace applications.

The researchers published their findings in the scientific journal Science.