As a high-performance lightweight structural material with superior strength, Ti55531 titanium alloy has been widely adopted in critical load-bearing components such as landing gears and airframe frames in the aerospace sector to achieve significant weight reduction. However, when the tensile strength of Ti55531 exceeds 1250 MPa, the fracture toughness typically falls below 50 MPa·m^1/2. In this study, we addressed this challenge by precisely controlling the cooling rate during β annealing heat treatment. Through careful regulation of the cooling rate from the high-temperature β phase region to the aging temperature region, the Widmanstätten structure was successfully introduced into the Ti55531 titanium alloy. The experimental results demonstrate that this microstructure achieves a high tensile strength of 1252 MPa at a cooling rate of 2.5 °C/min, while simultaneously improving the elongation and fracture toughness to 9% and 84 MPa·m^1/2, respectively. Microstructural analysis reveals that the basket-weave structure plays a crucial role in maintaining high strength. Meanwhile, the Widmanstätten structure effectively increases the energy required for crack extension by resisting crack propagation and altering the crack propagation path, thus significantly enhancing fracture toughness. These findings offer a promising pathway for overcoming the traditional trade-off between strength and toughness in high-performance titanium alloys.

High-energy structural materials (ESMs) integrate a high energy density with rapid energy release, offering promising applications in advanced technologies. In this study, a novel dual-phase Ti₄₀Zr₄₀W₁₀Mo₁₀ high-entropy alloy (HEA) was synthesized and evaluated as a potential ESM. The alloy exhibited a body-centered cubic (BCC) matrix with Mo-W-rich BCC precipitates of varying sizes, which increased proportionally with the W content. The compressive mechanical properties were assessed across a range of strain rates, revealing that the W10 HEA sustained a compressive strength of 2300 MPa at a strain rate of 3000 s⁻¹. This exceptional performance is attributed to the uniform distribution of circular Mo-W-rich BCC precipitates. Conversely, in the W13 HEA, the aggregated and large Mo-W-rich precipitates deteriorated its dynamic properties. Furthermore, deflagration behavior was observed during dynamic deformation of W10, highlighting its potential as a high-performance ESM.