Research Progress on Ultra-Low Temperature Steels: A Review on Their Composition, Microstructure, and Mechanical Properties

To address global environmental concerns and reduce carbon dioxide emissions, countries worldwide are prioritizing the development of green, eco-friendly, and low-carbon energy sources. This emphasis has led to the growing importance of promoting clean energy industries like hydrogen energy and natural gas. These gases are typically stored and transported at cryogenic temperatures, making ultra-low temperature alloys indispensable as essential materials for the storage and transportation of liquid gas energy. With the temperature decreasing from room temperature (RT) to liquid nitrogen temperature (LNT), the dominant deformation mechanism in high-manganese steels undergoes a transformation from dislocation slip to deformation twinning, resulting in exceptional cryogenic mechanical properties. Consequently, high-manganese steel has emerged as an excellent material candidate for cryogenic applications. This report focuses on establishing the composition of high-manganese steel suitable for cryogenic applications and provides a comprehensive review of its microstructure and mechanical properties at both RT and LNT. Furthermore, it offers a prospective outlook on the future development of cryogenic high-manganese steels.