A group of international scientists has announced that they have developed a type of super-durable yet flexible steel.

In the journal Science, the research team explained that they melted raw alloy materials at temperatures of 650⁰ - 800⁰C and allowed them to cool in the open air, creating a unique structure.

They then used liquid nitrogen, with a temperature of -196⁰C, for additional cooling. Finally, they subjected it to heat treatment at 300⁰C to improve the stability of the new steel.

Mr. Li Yunjie, one of the research authors, revealed that the steel they created has a strength of 2 gigapascals, nearly the strongest among steel types.

He also stated that this method could reduce the cost of producing one ton of steel by about 510 Chinese yuan (75 USD) and simultaneously reduce carbon emissions equivalent to more than 100kg of coal per ton.

According to Mr. Li, the future production of super-durable steel on a large scale holds great promise.

Professor of Engineering Geoffrey Brooks, who specializes in steel production at Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne, Australia, stated that super-durable steel is highly suitable for applications in the automotive, aerospace, and machinery industries.

"It can take on complex shapes and, at the same time, absorb high levels of energy from impacts," he said.

According to the South China Morning Post, the research team consists of scientists from Northeastern University in Shenyang, the National Laboratory for Materials Science in Shenyang, the Jiangyin Xingcheng Special Steel Plant in China, and the Max Planck Institute for Iron Research in Germany.