Oxide glasses are an elementary group of materials in modern society, but brittleness limits their wider usability at room temperature. As an exception to the rule, amorphous aluminum oxide (a‐Al₂O₃) is a rare diatomic glassy material exhibiting significant nanoscale plasticity at room temperature. Here, it is shown experimentally that the room temperature plasticity of a‐Al₂O₃ extends to the microscale and high strain rates using in situ micropillar compression. All tested a‐Al₂O₃ micropillars deform without fracture at up to 50% strain via a combined mechanism of viscous creep and shear band slip propagation. Large‐scale molecular dynamics simulations align with the main experimental observations and verify the plasticity mechanism at the atomic scale. The experimental strain rates reach magnitudes typical for impact loading scenarios, such as hammer forging, with strain rates up to the order of 1 000 s⁻¹, and the total a‐Al₂O₃ sample volume exhibiting significant low‐temperature plasticity without fracture is expanded by 5 orders of magnitude from previous observations. The discovery is consistent with the theoretical prediction that the plasticity observed in a‐Al₂O₃ can extend to macroscopic bulk scale and suggests that amorphous oxides show significant potential to be used as light, high‐strength, and damage‐tolerant engineering materials.

Copper is a critical material for energy transition and green technologies, making its sustainable use increasingly important. Its superior thermal and electrical conductivity make it highly well-suited for additive manufacturing (AM). In this study, copper sourced from offshore electrical cables was upcycled to produce high-quality metal powder for AM. The scrap was processed to separate the metal from plastic and rubber, then refined through ultrasonic atomization, achieving a purity of ~99.5% wt.% with minimal impurities. Characterization demonstrated good flowability, apparent and tap densities, and a well-distributed particle size. To assess its performance in AM, the powder was printed using Directed Energy Deposition (DED) with a laser beam, confirming its high printability and compatibility with the base material. Finally, a comparative Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) revealed a significant environmental advantage of the recycling-based process over conventional mining, reducing global warming potential by more than 70%. These findings highlight the importance of feedstock origin in AM sustainability and support the adoption of circular economy strategies to lower the environmental footprint of advanced manufacturing.

In the framework of hydrogen production and storage for clean energy generation, the resistance to hydrogen embrittlement of a newly developed austenitic stainless steel is presented. Gas-atomized metal powders prepared from secondary-sourced metals were employed to manufacture test specimens with Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) technology. After machining and exposure to a controlled, pressurized hydrogen atmosphere at high temperature, the effect of hydrogen charging on the mechanical performance under static and dynamic conditions was investigated. The stabilizing effect of the optimized chemical composition is reflected in the absence of degradation effects on Yield Stress (YS), Ultimate Tensile Stress (UTS), and fatigue life observed for specimens exposed to hydrogen. Moreover, despite a moderate reduction in the elongation at fracture observed by increasing the hydrogen charging time, ductility loss calculated as Relative Reduction of Area (RRA) remains substantially unaffected by the duration of exposure to hydrogen and demonstrates that the austenitic steel is capable of resisting hydrogen embrittlement (HE).

Sustainable disassembly and recovery of end-of-life metal-composite components is a key focus in aviation. Specifically, efficient recycling of metals is hampered by impurity content, which potentially leads to deleterious downgrading of alloys.Recycling of a novel multi-material hybrid joining system for aerospace applications, designed within the EU-funded MIMOSA project, is addressed.The proposed strategy involves mechanical separation of the metal (AlSi10Mg) and composite (CFRP) materials through a multi-stage process. While the CFRP follows a dedicated recycling line, AlSi10Mg is upcycled via atomization to generate sustainable powder feedstock for Additive Manufacturing (AM).Particle size distribution, morphology, chemical composition, tap, and apparent density are evaluated for AlSi10Mg powders from lab-scale atomization. The results confirm the compliance of powder properties with Aerospace standards.Overall, the proposed strategy supports the implementation of a circular model to close the loop on multi-material joints, integrating AM production and recycling of the metal parts of the joints.

Accident tolerant fuel (ATF) concepts are being developed to improve the safety of nuclear reactors; however, current cladding materials remain limited by degradation in high-temperature water vapor. Therefore, significant efforts are devoted to the development of protective coatings and interdiffusion barriers for Zr-based and advanced cladding systems. In this work, amorphous Cr-rich Y₂O₃ (10% Cr₂O₃) is explored as a candidate intediffusion barrier material to enhance the reliability of ATF claddings under accident-relevant conditions. The material was subjected to high temperatures in vacuum and water vapor, in situ, in a scanning transmission electron microscope, where its microstructural and compositional evolution were investigated. Under vacuum, progressive crystallization occurs from 750–800 °C, followed by Cr segregation at grain boundaries above 1000 °C. In water vapor, degradation is accelerated, with Cr loss and microstructural instability emerging above 900–950 °C. Overall, the coating remains stable up to 900 °C, supporting its potential as an interdiffusion barrier for the presented application.