Thermal stability of nanocomposite metals: In situ observation of anomalous residual stress relaxation during annealing under synchrotron radiation

The thermal stability of nanocomposite metals (a nanostructured copper matrix embedding niobium nanotubes) is investigated via time-resolved in situ annealing under synchrotron high-energy X-rays. The diffraction peak profile analysis demonstrates that internal-stress relaxation begins in the Nb nanotubes at a temperature far below the bulk recrystallization temperature and follows size-specific regimes originating from a proximity effect with the nanostructured Cu matrix: the increased Cu-Nb interface surface disrupts internal-stress relaxation processes, confirming the larger thermal resistance of nanostructured materials.