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Researchers Create Metal That Resists Cracking in Deep Space Cold

Researchers Create Metal That Resists Cracking in Deep Space Cold

Engineered cobalt-nickel-vanadium alloy resists cracking at –186°C, opening paths for spaceflight and cryogenic fuel systems.

Written by Gadgets 360 Staff | Updated: 13 September 2025 21:30 IST

Researchers Create Metal That Resists Cracking in Deep Space Cold

Photo Credit: Nature/Wikimedia Commons

New cold-tolerant alloy may strengthen spacecraft parts for deep space

Highlights

Alloy resists brittleness down to –186°C
Atomic “dual-order” design halts crack growth
Potential for spacecraft and cryogenic fuel systems

In extreme cold conditions, from deep space to cryogenic fuels, ordinary metals become brittle and fracture. Tests of the Titanic's hull steel, for example, showed it was about 10 times more brittle at freezing than modern steel. Now, researchers report an alloy built at the atomic scale that bucks this trend. By heating and shaping a cobalt-nickel-vanadium alloy, they coaxed atoms into two different ordered patterns inside it. The result: a metal that remains strong and tough even at –186°C.

Engineering an alloy atom by atom

According to a study published in the journal Nature, scientists have engineered a “dual-ordered” structure inside a cobalt-nickel-vanadium alloy. Heat treatment and deformation caused atoms to self-assemble into sub-nanoscale islands of one pattern (short-range order) alongside larger nanoscale domains of another pattern (long-range order).

This atomic architecture impedes crack growth and keeps the metal ductile even as temperature drops. In tensile tests at –186°C, the alloy remained exceptionally strong and absorbed much more strain before cracking than normal metals. Precise atomic design can give metals unprecedented toughness in the cold.

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Applications in space and energy

The new alloy has obvious practical applications due to its cold tolerance. It might be utilized in spacecraft components to endure the intense cold of deep space. Additionally, it could fortify cryogenic fuel infrastructure, like LNG tanks or pipelines.

Other cryogenic systems, such as those that store hydrogen or oxygen fuel, might even benefit from the strategy. According to the researchers, other metal systems could also benefit from the application of their atomic-level approach, which could result in the development of new materials that are resilient in the most extreme cold.

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