In recent years, near-nano (submicron) and nanostructured materials have attracted increasingly more attention from the materials community. Nanocrystalline materials are characterized by a microstructural length or grain size of up to about 100 nm. Materials having grain size of $0.1 to 0.3 mm are classified as submicron materials. Nanocrystalline materials exhibit various shapes or forms, and possess unique chemical, physical or mechanical properties. When the grain size is below a critical value ($10-20 nm), more than 50 vol.% of atoms is associated with grain boundaries or interfacial boundaries. In this respect, dislocation pile-ups cannot form, and the Hall-Petch relationship for conventional coarse-grained materials is no longer valid. Therefore, grain boundaries play a major role in the deformation of nanocrystalline materials. Nanocrystalline materials exhibit creep and super plasticity at lower temperatures than conventional micro-grained counterparts. Similarly, plastic deformation of nanocrystalline coatings is considered to be associated with grain boundary sliding assisted by grain boundary diffusion or rotation. In this review paper, current developments in fabrication, microstructure, physical and mechanical properties of nanocrystalline materials and coatings will be addressed. Particular attention is paid to the properties of transition metal nitride nanocrystalline films formed by ion beam assisted deposition process. #

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Magnetic-field-induced electric polarization in nanostructured multiferroic composite films was studied by using the Green's function approach. The calculations showed that large magnetic-field-induced polarization could be produced in multiferroic nanostructures due to enhanced elastic coupling interaction. Especially, the 1-3 type films with ferromagnetic nanopillars embedded in a ferroelectric matrix exhibited large magnetic-field-induced polarization responses, while the 2-2 type films with ferroelectric and ferromagnetic nanolaminates showed much weaker magnetoelectric coupling and lower magnetic induced polarization due to large in-plane constraint effect, which was in agreement with the recent observations.

Organic/inorganic nanocomposites (OINs) can be potentially used as high-performance capacitors due to their rapid charge-discharge capability along with respectable power density. The coupling effect of the filler/matrix interface plays a prominent role in the dielectric and electric properties of OINs. Along with a review of contemporary theoretical models, recent advances in interfacial optimization to improve energy density through careful interface control and design are also presented. Possible mechanisms that may improve energy density and potential applications for high-energy-density capacitors are also highlighted.