Continuing their research at Texas A&M University Sandia National Laboratories, scientists made an unexpected observation while examining the durability of metals. Researchers examining platinum with a specialized electron microscope discovered that the nanoscale cracks on the platinum disappeared on their own over time. Nothing like this has ever been observed before.
There may be a solution to metal fatigue
Researchers observed that the cracks in the extremely small 40 nanometer platinum layers they examined in a vacuum environment disappeared over time and the metal repaired itself. The pressure on metals and their movements can cause such cracks. These cracks are called fatigue damage or metal fatigue. This phenomenon, which may cause metal structures to collapse at some point, has been waiting to be resolved for a long time.
In the 40-minute observation made by the researchers, it was observed that the platinum began to re-assemble after a while and the cracks merged into a perfect weld. The researchers did not expect this result either.
“It was absolutely stunning to witness something like this firsthand,” said Brad Boyce, Materials Researcher at Sandia National Laboratory. He uses the expressions. “That’s certainly not what we were looking for. What we confirmed was that metals have an inherent, natural ability to regenerate, at least in terms of fatigue damage at the nanoscale,” Boyce said. said.
A new era may begin in engineering
Currently, we do not have precise information about the conditions required for metals to repair themselves, how the repair process occurs, or how we can use this ability of metals. Still, serious repair costs are paid for the metals we use everywhere, from giant structures such as bridges and skyscrapers to smartphones. Eliminating these costs and increasing the lifespan of buildings has the potential to make a great contribution to humanity.
On the other hand, the self-repair ability of newly observed metals is not so unexpected. Previously, a researcher named Michael Demkowicz had developed a model in which he argued that these properties emerge when metal structures change their structure in response to stress. Demkowicz’s model and this study support each other.
The ability of metals to repair themselves can also be explained by the method called cold welding. In this method, when metal surfaces are brought close enough at room temperature or low temperatures, atoms form bonds, enabling welding. Under normal conditions, two metals placed side by side do not combine because particles or pollutants in the air prevent the atoms from getting close enough. There is no such obstacle in a vacuum environment.
The research was published in Nature.
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