Technology

Xtalic’s new nanocrystalline alloy technology was developed at MIT in the laboratory of Professor Christopher Schuh, head of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Metal properties are determined by a number of factors including composition and structure. Traditionally metal properties have been engineered through alloying metals together to get a desirable mix of properties including strength, toughness and corrosion and wear resistance. Another powerful determinant in properties is crystal size and structure, but historically control of crystal formation in thin layers of metal has not been practical.

Crystal or grain size has an important effect on properties. Professor Schuh’s team at MIT found and patented a unique, low cost method for controlling crystal formation and this set of ideas, now licensed exclusively to Xtalic, forms the basis of a growing body of intellectual property around the practical, low cost commercialization of this technology.

The degree and consistency of crystal formation control is dramatic. Typically crystals might form at the 50-200 nanometer scale, and the Xtalic process produces crystals below 10 nanometers in scale.

Different performance properties will reach their maximum at different crystal structures. Xtalic’s Dynamic Nanostructure Control gives us the power to identify and dial in the performance optimum – at times orders of magnitude better than traditional metals.

For more on Xtalic’s technology, please click here to listen to Chris Schuh describe our technology is his own words.