  Heavy plastic shear deformation at relatively low homologous temperatures is
called high-pressure torsion (HPT) deformation, which is one method of severe
plastic deformation (SPD). The aim of the paper is to give an overview of a new
processing approach which permits the generation of innovative metastable
materials and novel nanocomposites by HPT deformation. Starting materials can
be either coarse-grained multi-phase alloys, a mixture of different elemental
powders or any other combination of multiphase solid starting materials. After
HPT processing, the achievable microstructures are similar to the ones
generated by mechanical alloying. Nevertheless, one advantage of the HPT
process is that bulk samples of the different types of metastable materials and
nanocomposites are obtained directly during HPT deformation. It will be shown
that different material combinations can be selected and materials with
tailored properties, or in other words, materials designed for specific
applications and the thus required properties, can be synthesized. Areas of
application for these new materials range from hydrogen storage to materials
resistant to harsh radiation environments.
