Magic numbers herald new wave of superalloys

摘要

An extra bendy mixture of metals is astonishing the normally conservative world of materials science. It does not conform to any known theory of metal deformation and is already sparking talk of a new generation of "superalloys". The complicated alloy of titanium, niobium, tantalum, zirconium and oxygen was developed by Toyota researchers based in Nagakute, Japan. It has been nicknamed "gum metal" and is being used to manufacture unbreakable spectacle frames that can be twisted or bent almost to right angles and still spring back to their original shape. A wire of the alloy can be stretched to twice its original length without breaking. And the alloy's super-powers hold good at any temperature between -200℃ and 200℃, which should catch the eye of spacecraft designers.