Materials researchers micromanage atoms in hard metal
Monday, June 14, 2010 - 10:53
in Physics & Chemistry
Drilling bits in the mining industry and cutting tools for metalworking in the manufacturing industry are often made of hard metal – a material nearly as hard as diamond. Researchers have long tried to control the manufacturing process for the material to be able to steer in detail the hardness and other key properties to make it more durable. By combining theory and experiments, researchers have now taken a crucial step toward being able to micromanage the performance of the material, down to the level of the atom.