Titanium alloys are advanced lightweight materials, indispensable for many critical applications^1,2. The mainstay of the titanium industry is the α–β titanium alloys, which are formulated through alloying additions that stabilize the α and β phases^3,4,5. Our work focuses on harnessing two of the most powerful stabilizing elements and strengtheners for α–β titanium alloys, oxygen and iron^1,2,3,4,5, which are readily abundant. However, the embrittling effect of oxygen^6,7, described colloquially as ‘the kryptonite to titanium’⁸, and the microsegregation of iron⁹ have hindered their combination for the development of strong and ductile α–β titanium–oxygen–iron alloys. Here we integrate alloy design with additive manufacturing (AM) process design to demonstrate a series of titanium–oxygen–iron compositions that exhibit outstanding tensile properties. We explain the atomic-scale origins of these properties using various characterization techniques. The abundance of oxygen and iron and the process simplicity for net-shape or near-net-shape manufacturing by AM make these α–β titanium–oxygen–iron alloys attractive for a diverse range of applications. Furthermore, they offer promise for industrial-scale use of off-grade sponge titanium or sponge titanium–oxygen–iron^10,11, an industrial waste product at present. The economic and environmental potential to reduce the carbon footprint of the energy-intensive sponge titanium production¹² is substantial.

钛合金是先进的轻质材料，在许多关键应用中不可或缺^1,2。钛工业的支柱是 α–β 钛合金，它是通过稳定 α 和 β 相^3,4,5的合金添加剂配制而成。我们的工作重点是利用两种最强大的 α-β 钛合金稳定元素和强化剂，氧和铁^1,2,3,4,5，它们很容易丰富。然而，氧的脆化作用^6,7通俗地描述为“氪石对钛” ⁸，以及铁的微观偏析⁹阻碍了它们的结合以开发高强度和延展性的 α-β 钛-氧-铁合金。在这里，我们将合金设计与增材制造 (AM) 工艺设计相结合，以展示一系列具有出色拉伸性能的钛-氧-铁组合物。我们使用各种表征技术解释了这些特性的原子尺度起源。丰富的氧和铁以及增材制造净形或近净形制造的工艺简单性使得这些 α-β 钛-氧-铁合金在各种应用中具有吸引力。此外，它们为工业规模使用劣质海绵钛或海绵钛-氧-铁^{10,11提供了希望}，目前为工业废品。减少能源密集型海绵钛生产¹²的碳足迹的经济和环境潜力是巨大的。