According to the paper “nickel catalyses the precipitation of nanometre-sized B2 particles (Fe and Al intermetallic compounds) in the face-centred cubic matrix of high-aluminium low-density steel during heat treatment of cold-rolled sheet steel.”



The result is an alloy 13% less dense than traditional steel and harder, but also crucially the new process creates a metal that would bend, not break under pressure.

There are still challenges before it can be mass produced however Popular Mechanics reports steelmakers use “a silicate layer to cover and protect mass-produced steel from oxidation with the air and contamination from the foundry. This silicate can’t be used for Kim’s steel because it has a tendency to react with the cooling aluminum, compromising the final product.”

Nevertheless, Lead researcher Hansoo Kim told Popular Mechanics the method is actually more important than the result. Now that his results are published, he expects scientists to cook up a multitude of new alloys based on the B2-dispersion method.”