The researchers in this study discovered that the key to maintaining the stability of these materials at high temperatures lies in triple junctions, corners where three of these nanocrystals meet. Imagine the corners of three puzzle pieces coming together.

What the scientists found is that when certain atoms are added to form an alloy, they prefer to occupy sites at these triple junctions. This "chemical segregation" or gathering of atoms at triple junctions helps to keep the grains from growing, thereby preventing the material from losing its strength over time.