An ultra-high-strength 12Mn maraging steel realized via nanoscale heterostructure engineering

•The nano-dispersed precipitation of the Fe2TiSi phase within the lath hardens the alloy remarkably, and the nanoscale interfacial austenite layer toughens the alloy.•This hierarchical nanostructure engineering has achieved a super-high tensile strength of ∼1.7 GPa with moderate elongation of ∼7 % at break.