Engineers open door to big new library of nanoparticles

A research team at the University of Maryland has developed a new method for mixing metals generally known to be immiscible, or unmixable, at the nanoscale to create a new range of bimetallic materials. This new method exposes copper-based mixes to a thermal shock of approximately 1,300 degrees Celsius for 20 milliseconds and then rapidly cools them to room temperature. The research team was able to prepare a collection of homogeneous copper-based alloys. Typically, copper only mixes with a few other metals, such as zinc and palladium. But by using this new method, the team broadened the miscible range to include copper with nickel, iron, and silver.