Size effect for achieving high mechanical performance body-centered cubic metals and alloys

Submicron and nanostructured body-centered cubic (BCC) metals exhibit unusual mechanical performance compared to their bulk coarse-grained counterparts, including high yield strength and outstanding ductility. These properties are important for their applications in micro-, nano-and even atomic-scale devices as well as for their usages as components for enhancing the performances of structural materials. One aspect of the unusual mechanical properties of small-sized BCC metals is closely related to their dimensional confinement. Decreasing the dimensions of single crystalline metals or the grain sizes of polycrystalline metals contributes significantly to the strengthening of the small-sized BCC metals. In the last decade, significant progress has been achieved in understanding the plasticity and deformation behaviors of small-sized BCC metals. This paper aims to provide a comprehensive review on the current understanding of size effects on the plasticity and deformation mechanisms of small-sized BCC metals. The techniques used for in situ characterization of the deformation behavior and mechanical properties of small-sized samples are also presented.