Scaling behavior of stiffness and strength of hierarchical network nanomaterials

A two-stage lightweighting Dealloying allows voids to be created in metals, decreasing the weight of the material. However, when the solid fraction is below about 30%, the mechanical properties rapidly degrade. Shi et al. discovered that two dealloying steps allow for the creation of a silver-gold alloy with a solid fraction as low as 12%. Unexpectedly, this process does not degrade the mechanical properties while allowing for large samples to be synthesized. The strategy should be applicable to other alloy systems, providing a pathway for creating strong and lightweight materials. Science , this issue p. 1026