Oxidation-resistant and corrosion-resistant nanostructured copper-based metal systems

Abstract

Various embodiments relate to oxidation-resistant and / or corrosion-resistant nanostructured copper-based metal systems and techniques for producing such systems. The metal system comprises (i) a solvent of copper (Cu) metal constituting 50 to 99.98 atomic percent (at.%) of the metal system; (ii) a first solute of tantalum (Ta) metal constituting 0.01 to 50 at.% of the metal system and dispersed in the solvent metal; (iii) a second solute of oxidation-resistant and / or corrosion-resistant derivative metal constituting 0.01 to 50 at.% of the metal system and dispersed in the solvent metal; and optionally (iv) a third solute of an additional metal dispersed in the solvent metal, wherein the third solute constituting 0.01 to 50 at.% of the metal system, and the additional metal may be an alkali metal, alkaline earth metal or transition metal different from the solvent, the first solute and the second solute.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] Government interests The inventions described herein may be manufactured and used by or on behalf of the U.S. Government for any governmental purpose without payment of royalties.

[0002] Areas of disclosure This disclosure relates to a higher-order oxidation-resistant and / or corrosion-resistant nanostructured metallic copper (Cu)-based metal system, and more particularly to a Cu-based metal system incorporating oxidation-resistant / corrosion-resistant substances such as chromium into the system. [Background technology]

[0003] This section aims to introduce to the reader various technical aspects that may be related to the various aspects of the invention described and / or claimed below. This explanation is intended to provide background information that will facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the invention. Therefore, it should be understood that these descriptions do not constitute an endorsement of prior art and should be read in this context.

[0004] Bulk nanocrystalline metals, alloys, and composite materials have attracted considerable interest and attention in the scientific community in recent years, primarily due to their unique mechanical properties. Recent reports have shown that these metals can achieve both ultra-high strength and moderate ductility. The possibility of achieving both ultra-high strength and ductility (i.e., ultra-high toughness nanocrystalline materials) makes nanocrystalline metals and alloys a promising future for advanced metallurgy.

[0005] However, none of the alloys currently available are designed to have high-temperature oxidation / corrosion resistance. This significant drawback severely limits their use in high-temperature applications in the real world. "Real world" here refers to ambient conditions in which parts made from these alloys are exposed to an atmosphere where oxidation / corrosion with the base metal can occur. [Overview of the project]

[0006] Various shortcomings of the prior art are addressed by the disclosed composition and technology as follows:

[0007] In some embodiments, oxidation-resistant and / or corrosion-resistant nanostructured metal systems can be provided. The metal system may include alloys, particularly alloys that are immiscible with copper. The metal system comprises (i) a solvent of copper (Cu) metal constituting 50 to 99.98 atomic percent (at.%) of the metal system, (ii) a first solute of tantalum (Ta) metal constituting 0.01 to 50 at.% of the metal system and dispersed in the solvent metal, and (iii) a second solute of an oxidation-resistant and / or corrosion-resistant derivative metal constituting 0.01 to 50 at.% of the metal system and dispersed in the solvent metal, and optionally (iv) a third solute of an additional metal dispersed in the solvent metal, wherein the third solute constituting 0.01 to 50 at.% of the metal system, and the additional metal may be a transition metal different from the solvent, the first solute, and the second solute. The metal system may have an initial average particle size of about 100 nm or less. The metal system can be thermally stable with virtually no coarse grain growth, such that at approximately 98% of the melting point temperature of the solvent metal, the internal particle size of the solvent metal is substantially suppressed to approximately 10 microns or less, and the solute metal remains substantially uniformly dispersed in the solvent metal at that temperature.

[0008] In some embodiments, the additional metal forming the third solute may be a group 4 element, a group 5 element, a group 6 element, iron (Fe), cobalt (Co), manganese (Mn), lithium (Li), or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, the oxidation-resistant and / or corrosion-resistant derivative metal forming the second solute may be chromium (Cr), zinc (Zn), aluminum (Al), nickel (Ni), titanium (Ti), hafnium (Hf), silver (Ag), or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, the second solute includes chromium (Cr). In some embodiments, the second solute may constitute 1 at.% to 25 at.% of the metal system.

[0009] In some embodiments, the metal system is configured to form an adhering and impermeable oxide layer containing a second solute that prevents further oxidation of the metal system when exposed to a temperature of at least 200°C. In some embodiments, the metal system is configured to form an adhering and impermeable oxide layer containing a second solute that prevents further oxidation of the metal system when exposed to a temperature of at least 500°C. In some embodiments, the metal system is configured to form an adhering and impermeable layer containing a second solute that prevents further corrosion of the metal system by corrosive substances when exposed to an atmosphere containing corrosive substances.

[0010] In some embodiments, the metal system is in bulk form and may include pellets, bullets, ingots, rods, plates, discs and / or sheets. In some embodiments, high-temperature mechanical components (such as engine or turbine blade components) may be provided formed from the high-density, thermodynamically stable nanostructured metal system disclosed herein.

[0011] In some embodiments, as disclosed herein, a process may be provided for forming a thermodynamically stable nanostructured copper-based metal system. The process may include a step of subjecting powder metals of a solvent metal and a solute metal to a grinding process using a grinding apparatus configured to vibrate or agitate the powder metals at a frequency which may exceed 60 times per minute using a ball medium to impact the contents, and then solidifying the ground powder metals to form a bulk material. The bulk material may be thermally stable with substantially no coarse grain growth, such that at about 98% of the melting point temperature of the solvent metal, the internal particle size of the solvent metal is substantially suppressed to about 10 microns or less, and the solute metal remains substantially uniformly dispersed in the solvent metal at that temperature.

[0012] Further objects, advantages, and novel features of the present invention are described in part in the following description, and some may become apparent to those skilled in the art by examining the following description or by understanding the invention through practice. The objects and advantages of the present invention can be realized and achieved by the means and combinations specifically indicated in the claims described below. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0013] The accompanying drawings incorporated herein, and which constitute part thereof, illustrate embodiments of the present invention and, together with the above general description of the invention and the following detailed description of embodiments, are useful in illustrating the principles of the present invention.

[0014] Figure 1 is an SEM image of a cross-section of the Cu-Ta-Li-10Cr material after exposure to air at 800°C.

[0015] Figures 2A and 2B are images of 10 mm circular disks of different compositions exposed to air at 700°C (1A) and 900°C (1B).

[0016] Figures 3A and 3B are graphs showing the rate of mass increase (or decrease) for different compositions as a function of time at 700°C (2A) and 900°C (2B).

[0017] It should be understood that the accompanying drawings are not necessarily to scale and illustrate various features in a somewhat simplified manner to aid in understanding the basic principles of the present invention. Specific design features of the series of operations disclosed herein, including, for example, the specific dimensions, orientation, position, and shape of the various components shown, are partially determined by the specific application and operating environment. Some features of the illustrated embodiments are enlarged or modified relative to other features to facilitate visualization and clear understanding. In particular, thin features may be thickened, for example, for clarity or explanation. Detailed Description of the Invention

[0018] The following description and drawings are merely illustrative of the principles of the present invention. Those skilled in the art will understand that various configurations embodying the principles of the present invention and falling within its scope can be devised, even if not expressly described or shown herein. Furthermore, all embodiments described herein are explicitly intended to be illustrative only, primarily to help the reader understand the principles of the present invention and the concepts to which the inventors have contributed to the development of the art, and should be construed as not being limited to the specifically described embodiments and conditions. In addition, the term “or” as used herein means non-exclusive or unless otherwise specified (e.g., “or otherwise” or “or instead”). Furthermore, the various embodiments described herein are not necessarily mutually exclusive, and some embodiments can be combined with one or more other embodiments to form new embodiments.

[0019] Many of the innovative teachings of this application will be described particularly with reference to presently preferred exemplary embodiments. However, it should be understood that such embodiments are merely one example of many advantageous uses of the innovative teachings described herein. Generally, the descriptions in the specification of this application do not necessarily limit any of the inventions recited in the various claims. Further, some descriptions may apply to some features of the invention but may not apply to other features. Those skilled in the art and those who obtain information from the teachings herein will understand that the invention is also applicable to various other technical fields or embodiments such as seismology and data fusion.

[0020] Various embodiments are directed to oxidation-resistant and / or corrosion-resistant nanostructured metal systems.

[0021] The Cu-based ternary system has the general formula Cu a X b Y c where copper is the solvent, the first solute metal is X, and the second solute metal is Y. In this general formula, a is preferably selected such that the solvent constitutes 50 to 99.98 atomic percent (at.%) of the metal system, and both b and c are preferably selected such that each solute independently constitutes at least 0.01 at.%, or at least 0.1 at.%, up to a maximum of 50 at.% of the metal system.

[0022] The first solute metal (X) is preferably a transition metal, more preferably a Group 4 element, a Group 5 element or a Group 6 element, iron (Fe), cobalt (Co), manganese (Mn), and most preferably tantalum (Ta).

[0023] The second solute metal (Y) is an oxidation-resistant and / or corrosion-resistant inducer. In some embodiments, the second solute metal has an oxide density formed by the metal of 2 g / cm 3 or more, or 5 g / cm 3It is selected to be as described above. In some embodiments, the second solute metal may be a transition metal or a post-transition metal. In some embodiments, the second solute metal may be chromium (Cr), zinc (Zn), aluminum (Al), nickel (Ni), titanium (Ti), hafnium (Hf), silver (Ag), or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, the second solute metal may be chromium.

[0024] Examples of such ternary systems include, for example, 89Cu-5Ta-6Cr at.%, 88Cu-1.5Ta-10.5Cr at.%, or 90Cu-3Ta-7Hf at.%.

[0025] Depending on the specific composition, the metal system can have a crystalline, solid-solution, or emulsion-like basic structure.

[0026] The Cu-based quaternary system satisfies the general formula Cu a X b Y c Z d where copper is the solvent, the first solute metal is X, the second solute metal is Y, and the third solute metal is Z. In this general formula, a is preferably selected such that the solvent constitutes 50 to 99.98 atomic percent (at.%) of the metal system, and b, c, and d are preferably each independently selected such that each solute constitutes at least 0.01 at.%, or at least 0.1 at.%, up to a maximum of 50 at.% of the metal system.

[0027] Similar to the ternary system, the first solute metal (X) is preferably a transition metal, more preferably a Group 4 element, a Group 5 element, or a Group 6 element, iron (Fe), cobalt (Co), manganese (Mn), and most preferably tantalum (Ta).

[0028] Similar to the ternary system, the second solute metal (Y) is an antioxidant and / or a corrosion inhibitor. In some embodiments, the second solute metal has an oxide density formed by the metal of 2 g / cm 3 or more, or 5 g / cm3 The following can be selected. In some embodiments, the second solute metal may be a transition metal or a post-transition metal. In some embodiments, the second solute metal may be chromium (Cr), zinc (Zn), aluminum (Al), nickel (Ni), titanium (Ti), hafnium (Hf), silver (Ag), or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, the second solute metal may be chromium.

[0029] In some embodiments, the metal system is based on the general formula Cu a X b Y c The following conditions can be met, where b is from 0.01 to 10 at.% and c is from 0.01 to 40 at.%. Depending on the specific composition, the metallic system may have a crystalline to solid sol or emulsion-like basic structure.

[0030] The third solute metal (Z) may be an additional material, such as an alkali metal, alkaline earth metal, or transition metal, that is different from the solvent, the first solute, and the second solute. In some embodiments, one or more additional metals forming the third solute may include group 4 elements, group 5 elements, group 6 elements, iron (Fe), cobalt (Co), or a combination thereof.

[0031] Examples of such quaternary systems include, for instance, 86Cu-3Ta-5Fe-6Cr at.%, or 87Cu-1.5Ta-10Cr-1.5Li at.%.

[0032] The metal system may have an initial average particle size of about 100 nm or less. The metal system may remain thermally stable without substantial coarse grain growth, such that at about 98% of the melting point temperature of the solvent metal, the internal particle size of the solvent metal is substantially suppressed to about 10 microns or less, and the solute metal remains substantially uniformly dispersed in the solvent metal at that temperature.

[0033] In some embodiments, the metal system is configured to form an adhering and impermeable oxide layer containing a second solute that prevents further oxidation or corrosion of the metal system when exposed to high temperatures and / or corrosive atmospheres.

[0034] In some embodiments, the metal system is configured to form an adhering and impermeable oxide layer containing a second solute that prevents further oxidation of the metal system when exposed to a temperature of at least 200°C. In some embodiments, the metal system is configured to form an adhering and impermeable oxide layer containing a second solute that prevents further oxidation of the metal system when exposed to a temperature of at least 500°C. In some embodiments, the metal system is configured to form an adhering and impermeable oxide layer containing a second solute that prevents further oxidation of the metal system when exposed to a temperature of at least 700°C. In some embodiments, the metal system is configured to form an adhering and impermeable oxide layer containing a second solute that prevents further oxidation of the metal system when exposed to a temperature of at least 900°C.

[0035] Referring to Figure 1, the SEM image shows that an oxide layer 120 is observed on the base metal system 110. The oxide layer is rich in oxidation-resistant and / or corrosion-resistant substances. Specifically, in Figure 1, the Cu-Ta-Li-10Cr system was exposed to air at 800°C to form an oxide layer. EDS spot analysis revealed that the oxide layer 120 consisted of 48.71% O, 45.75% Cr, 5.37% Cu, and 0.17% Ta.

[0036] The improvement in oxidation resistance and corrosion resistance can be visually confirmed. For example, as shown in Figures 2A and 2B, 10 mm circular discs of various compositions were prepared and heated to 700°C (1A) and 900°C (1B). From top to bottom, the discs were (i) pure Cu; (ii) Cu-Ta; (iii) Cu-Ta-Li; (iv) Cu-Ta-Li-3Cr; (v) Cu-Ta-Li-5Cr; (vi) Cu-Ta-Li-10Cr; and (vii) Cu-Ta-Li-20Cr.

[0037] As can be seen, at 700°C, oxide delamination was observed in all disks (i) to (v), which could lead to component failure. The addition of small amounts of chromium (e.g., disks (iv) and (v)) also reduced the effects of oxidation and delamination. However, only disks (vi) and (vii), with 10 and 20 at.% Cr added, showed no delamination at all as seen in the other disks. At 900°C, only disk (vii) showed no delamination at all as seen in the other disks.

[0038] Similar patterns can be observed when materials are exposed to corrosive atmospheres (for example, gas turbine blades exposed to air and sulfur dioxide).

[0039] Referring to Figures 3A and 3B, the percentage increase (or decrease) in mass over time is shown for various compositions exposed to air at 700°C (2A) and 900°C (2B), for compositions consistent with those in Figures 2A and 2B.

[0040] In some embodiments, the metal system is in bulk form and may include pellets, bullets, ingots, rods, plates, discs, and / or sheets. In some embodiments, high-temperature mechanical parts (such as engine or turbine blade parts) formed from the nanostructured metal systems disclosed herein may be provided.

[0041] Mechanical milling can be used to produce such components. Generally, mechanical milling / mechanical alloying produces nanostructured materials with particle sizes far below 100 nm by repeatedly mechanically abrading coarse powder materials. For example, precursor powder is packed into a steel vial, and hardened steel or ceramic balls are also added. The vial is then sealed and shaken for a long time. For example, shaking the vial 1060 times per minute generates approximately 2120 impacts per minute. This high-energy ball milling almost completely destroys the initial structure of the particles.

[0042] More specifically, at the atomic level, atoms may be forced to migrate into metastable random solid solutions or occupy the appearance of defects such as dislocations, triple points, and grain boundaries. This process is crucial for establishing thermodynamic stabilization. Fracture occurs when particles collide with the walls or balls of a vial. The energy accumulated by the impact of the crushed balls is sufficient to displace atoms from their crystallographic positions. At the microscopic level, repeated crushing, agglomeration, welding, and re-crushing of particles forms a highly processed basic structure in the crushed powder.

[0043] When multiple powder components are added to a vial, these components are densely mixed at the atomic level. Similar to mechanical alloying, this re-welding and re-crushing continues until the elemental powders constituting the initial filling are mixed at the atomic level, resulting in a solid solution and / or phase change. The chemical properties of the resulting alloy correspond to the proportion of the initial elemental powders. Continuing the grinding time reduces the particle size, eventually saturating at a minimum value that has been shown to be inversely proportional to the melting point of the resulting compound. Naturally, it is possible to interrupt the process cycle to obtain intermediate particle size refinement or intermixing of the constituent components of the powder mixture.

[0044] Example - Formation of powder metal using high-energy milling

[0045] The inventors prepared exemplary alloy Cu-Ta-Li-Cr compounds by filling clean hardened steel vials with high-purity (99.95% and 98.5%, respectively) ~325 mesh (approximately 45 μm) Cu, Ta, Li, and Cr powders in the correct weight ratios to produce the desired atomic percent alloy. As an example, the Cu:Ta:Li:Cr ratio was maintained at 86:3:10:1, expecting the resulting alloy to have a similar composition to Cu-3Ta-10Cr-1Li at.%.

[0046] Thirty-four stainless steel (440C) ball bearings, 17 with a diameter of 1 / 4 inch and the other 17 with a diameter of 3 / 8 inch, were used as grinding media in an 8000D SPEX shaker mill. A 5-gram powder mass of copper and tantalum was ground at a ball-to-powder mass (GW) ratio of 10:1. The vial was sealed in a (primarily) argon atmosphere (i.e., O2 < 1 ppm). This grinding process yielded a fine powder mass consisting of particles ranging from a few micrometers to sub-millimeters. The internal structure of the particles is likely to consist of clusters of Ta atoms dispersed throughout, rather than being further structurally refined, specifically consisting of Cu particles or subgrains containing individual Ta atoms.

[0047] The impact of contaminants in the grinding process is either additional or essentially negligible. The latter case occurs when using heat-resistant grinding media, such as tungsten carbide (WC). WC is crushable but chemically stable and therefore unlikely to dissolve in solvents. Thus, WC is more likely to act as a finely dispersed dynamic pinning agent. On the other hand, metal grinding media, such as iron (Fe), can have beneficial or harmful additional effects. While Fe contamination may be intentional, if not, Fe contamination from grinding in steel vials can be significantly reduced or completely mitigated by pre-coating the vials and grinding media with pure Cu or the specific alloy being ground before grinding. However, this mitigation may not be very effective because WC vials are very brittle. Therefore, steel vials are generally preferred over WC or other hard ceramic vials and grinding media. Contamination should be kept well below 1% of the total mass of the metal powder, and more preferably less than 0.5%.

[0048] During high-energy grinding processes, powdered metals may be exposed to very low or cryogenic temperatures to embrittle their constituent components. Cryogenic temperatures are typically defined as temperatures below approximately -150°C. For example, such cooling may be achieved by supplying liquid nitrogen at a low temperature of -196°C (77K). Liquid nitrogen grinding was made possible by placing sealed vials into thick nylon sleeves modified to allow installation in the high-energy mill and the inflow and outflow of liquid nitrogen. Before starting grinding, the vials were cooled to liquid nitrogen temperature. Mechanical alloying was performed in a SPEX shaker mill at liquid nitrogen temperature for approximately 10 hours until the particle size was minimized and saturated. This was verified by X-ray diffraction measurements. The purpose of using liquid nitrogen was to keep the powder at a low temperature and as brittle as possible, thereby preventing, more accurately reducing, or minimizing, powder adhesion to the grinding medium and vial walls, and maximizing the tendency for saturated solid solution formation. After the ball milling process was complete, the alloy powder was removed from the steel vials and stored in an argon glove box. Mechanical milling yielded powder with a particle size range of 20 to 200 μm. To prevent cold welding to the vial wall, other grinding experiments were conducted using a surfactant, but the results were similar to those obtained when using liquid nitrogen.

[0049] In some embodiments, after generating pulverized metal by exposing a powder metal precursor to the aforementioned high-energy pulverization step, the method may include a step of solidifying the pulverized metal (i.e., the powder metal obtained by high-energy pulverization) to form a bulk material. In some embodiments, the bulk material remains thermally stable with substantially no coarse grain growth, such that at about 98% of the melting point temperature of the solvent metal, the internal particle size of the solvent metal is substantially suppressed to 10 microns or less, preferably about 250 nm or less, and the solute metal remains substantially uniformly dispersed in the solvent metal at that temperature.

[0050] Bulk is defined as a structurally rigid and completely dense material. That is, the material is not loose, granular, or powdery. Furthermore, the product size is sufficiently large, several millimeters or more, that conventional methods (i.e., those not requiring special equipment or testing protocols) can be used to determine mechanical properties such as yield strength, ultimate strength, or fracture strain. Typical moldable bulk products include pellets, bullets, ingots, rods, plates, discs, or sheets.

[0051] Exemplary powder metal compositions can be molded into bulk products that retain their initial solid sol or emulsion-like structure and properties. The disclosed metal powders are suitable for a variety of solidification methods. These methods include, for example, non-pressure sintering, hot isotropic pressurization, hot pressing, field-assisted sintering (also known as discharge plasma sintering), dynamic compression using explosive or forging-like operations, high-pressure torsion forming, and extrusion methods including hot extrusion, cold extrusion, and shear extrusion. Special extrusion and solidification processes can further modify the initial isotropic nanoscale to microscale base structure of the composite material to impart texture or spatial, position-dependent gradients, thereby obtaining specific properties and / or directional properties.

[0052] Through various embodiments, it becomes possible to manufacture composite materials with exceptional properties in either a solid vapor or liquid state, and to form solid sol or emulsion-like basic structures. This involves the application of thermodynamic principles in combination with powder metallurgy.

[0053] In one example, a Cu-rich composite material for structural applications is manufactured using a mechanical alloying and solidification process with high-energy milling. This example is a solid-solid embodiment and includes a pretreatment step in which the constituent components are alloyed into a well-mixed powder mixture, and then solidified into a bulk powder precursor having suitable metastable properties, as described later. This technique produces a composite material from precursor elements in a solid state.

[0054] After grinding, the pulverized powder was compacted into a bulk sample using shear extrusion (ECAE). ECAE is a technique that extrudes a solid billet through a series of intersecting channels, essentially right-angled corners machined into a tooling die. As the extruder passes through the corners, it is subjected to pure shear conditions, and in each extrusion or pass, the extruder is subjected to a strain of approximately 1. The combination of hydrostatic and shear forces during the extrusion process densifies the billet. Passing the billet through the tooling die multiple times ensures complete densification. By changing the orientation of the billet between passes, different particle morphologies and textures are imparted to the billet.

[0055] Unlike solid materials, these powders are not easy to solidify directly. To achieve high density and facilitate handling, the powders need to be sealed in containers or cans. Engineering metals or alloys with similar strength to the densely packed powders (e.g., pure Ni, pure Cu, Monel, or steel) can be used for this application. Therefore, to solidify these powders, a cavity was first formed in a solid billet. Next, the nanostructured powder was packed into the cavity, usually cylindrical, evacuated (though not always necessary), sealed, and extruded in the same manner as the solid billet described above. If necessary, the billet and its contents can also be heated before extrusion to soften the powder mass. The powders possess exceptional thermal properties and maintain metastable characteristics, allowing for high processing temperatures of 90-95% of the melting point of pure Cu.

[0056] With respect to the various drawings herein, the systems, methods, apparatus, mechanisms, techniques, and parts thereof can be modified in various ways, and such modifications are considered to be within the scope of the invention. For example, while the various embodiments described herein show a particular sequence of steps or arrangement of functional elements, various other sequences / arrangements of steps or functional elements are available in the context of the various embodiments. Furthermore, while modifications of embodiments may be described individually, in the various embodiments, multiple modifications can be implemented simultaneously, sequentially, or using combinations of modifications.

[0057] Although various embodiments incorporating the teachings of the present invention are shown and described in detail herein, those skilled in the art can readily devise many other diverse embodiments still incorporating these teachings. Thus, while the foregoing relates to various embodiments of the present invention, other and further embodiments of the present invention can be devised without departing from the basic scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the appropriate scope of the present invention should be determined according to the claims.

Claims

1. A nanostructured metal system that is resistant to oxidation and / or corrosion, A solvent of copper (Cu) metal constituting 50 to 99.98 atomic percent (at.%) of the aforementioned metal system, The first solute of tantalum (Ta) metal, which constitutes 0.01 to 50 at.% of the metal system and is dispersed in the solvent metal, A second solute of an oxidation-resistant and / or corrosion-resistant derivative metal, comprising 0.01 to 50 at.% of the metal system and dispersed in the solvent metal, Optionally, a third solute of an additional metal dispersed in the solvent metal, The third solute constitutes 0.01 to 50 at.% of the metal system, and the additional metal is an alkali metal, alkaline earth metal, or transition metal different from the solvent, the first solute, and the second solute. The aforementioned metal system has an initial average particle size of approximately 100 nm or less. The metal system is thermally stable and virtually free of coarse grain growth, such that at approximately 98% of the melting point temperature of the solvent metal, the internal particle size of the solvent metal is substantially suppressed to approximately 10 microns or less, and the solute metal remains substantially uniformly dispersed in the solvent metal at that temperature. Oxidation-resistant and / or corrosion-resistant nanostructured metal systems.

2. The metal system according to claim 1, wherein the third solute is present in the metal system, and the third solute metal is a group 4 element, a group 5 element, a group 6 element, iron (Fe), cobalt (Co), manganese (Mn), lithium (Li), or a combination thereof.

3. The metal system according to claim 2, wherein the second solute oxidation-resistant and / or corrosion-resistant derivative metal is chromium (Cr), zinc (Zn), aluminum (Al), nickel (Ni), titanium (Ti), hafnium (Hf), silver (Ag), or a combination thereof.

4. The metal system according to claim 3, wherein the oxidation-resistant and / or corrosion-resistant derivative metal is chromium (Cr).

5. The metal system according to claim 4, wherein the second solute constitutes 1 at.% to 20 at.% of the metal system.

6. The metal system according to claim 1, wherein the metal system does not contain the third solute.

7. The metal system according to claim 1, wherein the metal system is configured to form an adhesive and impermeable oxide layer containing the second solute, which prevents further oxidation of the metal system when exposed to a temperature of at least 200°C.

8. The metal system according to claim 1, wherein the metal system is configured to form an adhesive and impermeable oxide layer containing the second solute, which prevents further oxidation of the metal system when exposed to a temperature of at least 500°C.

9. The metal system according to claim 1, wherein when exposed to an atmosphere containing corrosive substances, the metal system is configured to form an adhering and impermeable layer containing the second solute that prevents further corrosion of the metal system by the corrosive substances.

10. The metal system according to claim 1, wherein the metal system is in bulk form and includes pellets, bullets, ingots, rods, plates, discs, or sheets.

11. A high-temperature mechanical component formed from the metal system described in claim 1.

12. The high-temperature mechanical component according to claim 11, wherein the mechanical component is a component of an engine or turbine blade.

13. Oxidation-resistant and / or corrosion-resistant nanostructures A process for forming a copper-based metal system, The metal system comprises a solvent of copper (Cu) metal constituting 50 to 99.98 atomic percent (at.%) of the metal system; a first solute of tantalum (Ta) metal constituting 0.01 to 50 at.% of the metal system and dispersed in the solvent metal; a second solute of an oxidation-resistant and / or corrosion-resistant derivative metal constituting 0.01 to 50 at.% of the metal system and dispersed in the solvent metal; and optionally, a third solute of an additional metal dispersed in the solvent metal, wherein the third solute constituting 0.01 to 50 at.% of the metal system, and the additional metal is an alkali metal, alkaline earth metal, or transition metal different from the solvent, the first solute, and the second solute. A step of producing pulverized metal by subjecting the powdered solvent metal and the solute metal to a grinding process using a grinding apparatus configured to shake the powdered metal together with a ball medium at least 1060 times per minute in a generally forward-backward direction to impact its contents; and The process includes a step of solidifying the pulverized metal to form a bulk material; The bulk material is thermally stable with virtually no coarse grain growth, such that at about 98% of the melting point temperature of the solvent metal, the internal particle size of the solvent metal is substantially suppressed to about 10 microns or less, and the solute metal remains substantially uniformly dispersed in the solvent metal at that temperature.

14. The process according to claim 13, wherein the third solute is present in the metal system, and the third solute is a group 4 element, a group 5 element, a group 6 element, iron (Fe), cobalt (Co), manganese (Mn), lithium (Li), or a combination thereof.

15. The process according to claim 14, wherein the second solute is chromium (Cr), zinc (Zn), aluminum (Al), nickel (Ni), titanium (Ti), hafnium (Hf), silver (Ag), or a combination thereof.

16. The process according to claim 15, wherein the second solute is chromium (Cr).

17. The process according to claim 13, wherein the metal system does not contain the third solute.

18. The process according to claim 13, wherein the second solute constitutes 1 at.% to 25 at.% of the metal system.

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