Abstract
This chapter deals with the synthesis of nanostructured materials (NMs) by high‐energy ball milling (BM). During milling, powder particles are trapped between the colliding balls and undergo repeated severe plastic deformation and fracture processes, leading to the incorporation of lattice defects and to continuous refinement of the initial microstructure of the powder particles to the nanometer regime. Hence, depending on the microstructure, the BM process can be divided into four stages: initial, intermediate, final, and complete. The powders obtained after milling need to be characterized for their size, shape, surface area, phase constitution, and microstructural features. The lattice structure of the nanometer‐sized crystallites obtained by BM evidently deviates from the equilibrium state. It is generally agreed that, once the nanocrystalline structure is fully achieved, further reduction in grain size is not possible due to the extremely high stress that is required to deform the small nanometer‐sized grains.