“…Materials designers have explored gradients of grain size 124,[127][128][129] , twin density 130,131 , component or phase fraction 132 . These investigations demonstrated that the underlying physical micro-mechanisms of deformation can be influenced by such grading, leading to improvements in plasticity 133,134 , strengthening 135 , and damage resistance 124,127,130,131,136 . However, processes that realize gradients are difficult to scale up (for example, accumulative roll bonding 137,138 , thin film deposition 139,140 ).…”