This book focuses on the emerging class of new materials characterized by ultra-fine microstrucures. The NATO ASI which produced this book was the first international scientific meeting devoted to a discussion of the mechanical properties and deformation behavior of materials having grain sizes down to a few nanometers. Topics covered include superplasticity, tribology, and the supermodulus effect. Review chapters cover a variety of other themes including synthesis, characterization, thermodynamic stability, and general physical properties. Much of the work is concerned with the issue of how far conventional techniques and concepts can be extended toward atomic scale probing. Another key issue concerns the structure of nanocrystalline materials, in particular, what is the structure and composition of the internal boundaries. These ultra-fine microstructures have proved to challenge even the finest probes that the materials science community has today.

Preface. I: Fundamental Concepts. II: Structure and Physical Properties. III: Mechanical Response. IV: Superplasticity. V: Nanoindentation. VI: Synthesis and Processing. VII: Characterization. Subject Index.