Nanotech metallurgy (also called nanotechnological metallurgy, nanotechnology enabled metallurgy or nanometallurgy) is an emerging interdisciplinary domain of materials science and engineering (especially metallurgy), manufacturing, and nanoscience and engineering to study how nanophases (both ex situ and in situ) can be applied to significantly improve the processing/manufacturing, micro/nano-structures, and physical/chemical/mechanical behaviors of metals and alloys. this definition was first proposed by Xiaochun Li at the University of California, Los Angeles in 2018.