Invited viewpoint: in situ nanostructured lamellar composites

The discontinuous precipitation reaction has been observed in many alloys for more than 50 years. Most of the work on this phase transformation is aimed at suppressing it as it is known to be deleterious for mechanical properties when it is confined to grain boundary regions. However, it has been postulated that if the transformation goes to completion, then significant strengthening can occur analogous to the pearlite transformation in steels. In this article, we argue that this transformation has the potential to offer a new paradigm for both structural and functional applications.