As one of the first Partner Groups which were initiated to foster scientific exchange and interaction between the Max Planck Society (MPS) and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), the Partner Group led by Lu Ke was established on April 1, 1999. During the past five years, the group has received substantial support from the CAS for equipment and from the MPS for personnel and travel expenses. Extensive and productive collaborations between the research staff and students of the Partner Group with several professors (departments) in the Max Planck Institute for Metals Research (MPI-MF) have led to significant advances in synthesis, mechanical properties, melting and superheating of nanostructured metals. The research is well recognized internationally and a substantial number of publications in high quality, peer-reviewed journals (including Science and Physical Review Letters) have resulted. At the MPI-MF, Ke Lu has collaborated with Manfred Ruhle and Reinhard Luck on crystallization studies, with Eric As one of the first Partner Groups which were initiated to foster scientific exchange and interaction between the Max Planck Society (MPS) and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), the Partner Group led by Lu Ke was established on April 1, 1999. During the past five years, the group has received substantial support from the CAS for equipment and from the MPS for personnel and travel expenses. the Extensive and productive collaborations between the research staff and students of the Partner Group with several professors (departments) in the Max Planck The research is well recognized internationally and a substantial number of publications in high quality, peer-reviewed journals (including Science and Physical Review Letters) have resulted. At the MPI-MF, Ke Lu has collaborated with Manfred Ruhle and Reinhard Luck on crystallization studies, with Eric