Steel: three Chinese researchers discover new properties: greater strength and ductility
Science. Two articles published in the prestigious international journal “Nature Materials”. Matteo Villa, Polytechnic University of Bari, and Marcel Somers, Technical University of Denmark, contribute with a joint article in the same journal and open the scientific debate
28 July 2026
In April of this year, a study by three Chinese researchers, Shuai Pan, Birbin He and Mingxin Huang, from the University of Hong Kong and the Southern University of Science and Technology in Shenzhen, entitled, “La distorsione anisotropica del reticolo rende duttile l'acciaio martensitico ultrastrong”, published on 16 April in “Nature Materials”, one of the most prestigious scientific journals in the world, demonstrated that even better properties can be obtained from steel with a new chemical-engineering method. The proposed method acts on the formation of martensite, a very hard and strong crystalline structure that forms in steels through very rapid cooling (quenching).
On the Chinese publication, at the invitation of “Nature Materials”, two scholars intervened: Professors Marcel Somers, of the Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering, and Matteo Villa of the Polytechnic University of Bari, Department of Mechanics, Mathematics and Management.
In the article, “Lattice distortion activates deformation twinning in ultrastrong steel” published in “Nature Materials” on 24 June 2026, the two European professors expressed an opinion on the limits of the idea presented in April by the Chinese authors, as well as on the studies that should be undertaken in the future to go beyond them. This is a recognition of expertise at the highest level (the paper is published online on the journal’s page: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41563-026-02642-2 and is also accessible for reading at the following link: https://rdcu.be/fqap2). Polba Chronicle asked one of the two authors, Matteo Villa of Poliba, a few questions.
Prof. Villa, what is the innovative strength of the Chinese research?
They demonstrated that the martensitic structure, the strongest that can be obtained in steels, is not only strong, but can also be deformable. This was previously considered impossible because it violated the principle that high strength and deformability are mutually exclusive characteristics.
What does not convince you, or what still needs to be improved in research?
First and foremost, the fact that the above demonstration was obtained using steels containing significant fractions of cobalt and nickel. These are very expensive alloying elements and are in high demand for the green transition; therefore, it is not realistic to think of their large-scale use in steel production.
What needs to be investigated further?
The next objective is to study in depth the physics underlying the observed behavior, starting from the atomic scale, in order to be able to predict it on a computer. This will make it possible to screen, with a click, a very large number of compositions in search of those that can be produced in large quantities for real-world uses.
This step forward in science places the Polytechnic University of Bari at the center of the international debate on the directions to be taken in fundamental research in order to develop, in the future, next-generation steels whose uses and potential are still to be discovered.
History and characteristics. Steel, an iron alloy composed mainly of iron and carbon, is the second most used material in the world after concrete. Variation in the carbon percentage by weight, up to 2.1%, determines various types of steel. Beyond that, it becomes cast iron.
The high resistance that characterizes it is obtained by heating the steel to high temperatures (750-900 C°), followed by rapid cooling by immersing it in water, oil, or compressed air. This process, known as quenching, was already described by Homer in the Odyssey. This makes it possible to form an internal structure in the material that is very hard, but poorly deformable, and easily prone to breakage if bent, called martensite, with a new distribution of atoms.
These empirical processes occupied the time and experience of weapons masters and blacksmiths for many centuries. Only in 1740 was modern steel produced.
Used in an increasingly versatile way, steel has been indispensable for technological innovation throughout the world. The rapid growth of the postwar automotive sector (1950s/1960s) favored its research, quality, and production.
The idea that martensite was the ideal structure for steel suddenly changed in the 1970s. It was discovered that by treating steel so that it retained at least in part the atomic structure present at high temperatures, an additional advantage was achieved: high resistance was combined with high deformability. The discovery was revolutionary, especially for transportation.
Applications. Modern “engineered” steel is no longer just a strong material, but a material that, in the event of a car accident, deforms and absorbs a large amount of kinetic energy before breaking. Accidents that could have been fatal twenty years ago are today often irrelevant to passenger safety.
The authors, who are they.
Marcel A.J. Somers, born in 1960, earned his doctorate from Delft University of Technology in 1989. Since 1997 he has been full professor at the Technical University of Denmark, where he leads the materials and surfaces engineering group. He is the author of more than 360 scientific publications, co-inventor of about 20 patents, and co-founder of two specialized companies. He has received numerous international awards, including prestigious medals, and was knighted by the Queen of Denmark in 2022.
Matteo Villa, born in 1985, earned his doctorate from the Technical University of Denmark in 2014 and, after a decade of academic experience, in 2024 was appointed associate professor of Metallurgy at the Polytechnic University of Bari. Author of more than 70 scientific publications and co-inventor of 1 patent, his research focuses on the study of metal physics. His work is internationally recognized, particularly for scientific contributions dedicated to understanding martensitic transformations in steel.
The article Steel: three Chinese researchers discover new properties: greater strength and ductility comes from Poliba Chronicle.
