Concurrent high strength and high ductility in isotropic bulk Cu–Al alloy with three-dimensional nano-twinned structure

A structure with extensive randomly oriented nanoscale deformation twins and twin intersections was introduced in a bulk Cu–Al alloy by multi-directional forging at room temperature. This three-dimensional nano-twinned structure led to isotropic mechanical properties with concurrent high strength and high ductility, attributed to enhancing the strain hardening rate. The strategy described here can be scaled up to produce large three-dimensional nanostructured materials for practical applications.

► A three-dimensional (3D) nano-twinned structure was introduced in a bulk Cu–Al alloy by multi-directional forging at room temperature.
► An isotropic microstructure and mechanical properties in the three-dimensional bulk alloy was obtained.
► Concurrent high strength and high ductility was obtained, attributed to the enhanced strain hardening rate by the 3D nano-twinned structure.