Rare Crystal Form Found to Boost Strength of 3D-Printed Metal
This 3D printer builds objects by melting fine metal powder with a laser. First, the surface is covered with metal powder. Then, a powerful laser melts that powder into a specific pattern. This process is repeated hundreds or thousands of times, building up the metal piece layer by layer. When the object is finished, the excess powder is removed. (Credit: Jennifer Lauren Lee/NIST)
April 7, 2025 – Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have found special atomic patterns, called quasicrystals, in 3D-printed aluminum alloys. The researchers discovered that quasicrystals increase the strength of 3D-printed aluminum, making it suitable for use in lightweight, high-strength objects such as aircraft parts.
Quasicrystals resemble regular crystals, but there are a few key differences. A traditional crystal is a solid made up of atoms or molecules arranged in repeating patterns. Table salt, for example, is a common crystal. Salt’s atoms bond together to form cubes, and those microscopic cubes bond together to form larger cubes large enough to be seen with the naked eye. There are only 230 possible ways for atoms to form repeating crystal patterns. Quasicrystals don’t fit into any of those patterns. Their unique shape allows them to form a pattern that fills space but never repeats.
In metals, perfect crystals are weak. The regular patterns of perfect crystals make it easier for atoms to slide past each other. When that happens, the metal bends, stretches, or breaks. Quasicrystals disrupt the regular pattern of aluminum crystals, creating defects that make the metal stronger.
According to the researchers, their work provides new insights into the microstructural features of high-strength 3D-printed aluminum alloys and opens a new direction for using quasicrystals to improve the mechanical performance of 3D-printed metals.
The results were published on April 7 in Journal of Alloys and Compounds under the title “Microstructural Features and Metastable Phase Formation in a High-Strength Aluminum Alloy Fabricated Using Additive Manufacturing.” (Doi.org/10.1016/j.jallcom.2025.180281)
