Consolidating nanocrystalline aluminium crossover alloys for extreme environments

We are re currently exploring nanocrystalline aluminum alloys to understand how they perform in extreme conditions such as energetic particle irradiation and high temperatures. Aluminum alloys are ideal for challenging environments, given their versatility, lightweight nature, and favorable properties.

In a recent preprint led by Patrick Willenshofer, we discovered and reported for the first time that grain-boundary precipitation of T-phase – Mg32(Al,Zn)49 – was responsible to increase both temperature and irradiation resistances in a novel UFG aluminum crossover alloy (AlMgZnCuAg).

Now we have investigated the underlying kinetics and response of T-phase precipitation in novel aluminium crossover alloys in two different regimes of grains-sizes: (i) coarse-grained (CG) and (ii) ultra fine-grained (UFG). Once again led by Patrick Willenshofer, our latest findings confirm our prior research, showcasing the UFG alloy’s remarkable resistance to grain growth at elevated temperatures. This exceptional capability, we have discovered, is attributed to a synergistic action of inter- and intra-granular precipitation of T-phase.

I’m thrilled about the potential future discoveries that these new aluminum crossover alloys may unveil for us!