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We demonstrate a strategy to stabilize nanoprecipitates in Al–Cu alloys, based on computational design that identifies synergistic solutes (Sc and Fe) that simultaneously segregate to the θ′-Al2Cu/Al interface and strongly bond to one another. Furthermore, Sc and Fe are predicted to each segregate into a separate atomic plane, forming a sandwiched structure reinforcing the interface. This interfacial architecture was realized through a simple heat treatment in a Sc–Fe–Si triple-microalloyed Al–Cu model alloy. Such a back-to-back layered interface, thermodynamically stable and kinetically robust, is found to suffocate nanoprecipitate coarsening at 300°C, enabling a dramatic reduction in creep rate. IMPACT STATEMENT The segregant architecture of synergistic solute at θ′-Al2Cu/Al interface was guided by computational calculations and artificially realized at atomic scale to achieve an ultra-high thermal stability of θ′-Al2Cu, leading to a high creep resistance at 300°C.

Grain size stabilization is crucial for the production and application of nanocrystalline (NC) materials. The mechanically alloyed (MA) NC Fe-Zr system is known as a very successful NC system as it exhibits excellent thermal stability at elevated temperatures. The grain size stabilization of this system has been previously ascribed to its reduced grain boundary (GB) energy by Zr segregation and Zener pinning of Zr-rich intermetallic precipitates. In this work, we report a different mechanism that significantly contributes to grain size stabilization of this NC alloy system using two MA-produced NC Fe-Zr alloys (Fe-1 at.% Zr and Fe-5 at.% Zr) as examples. We show by using atom probe tomography and Cs-corrected transmission electron microscopy that highly dispersed coherent Fe-Zr-O nanoclusters, with a number density up to 1024 m−3, form in ferrite matrix after annealing at certain temperatures. Our first-principles calculations indicate that the formation of these nanoclusters is caused by the ordering of Zr and O-impurity in ferrite matrix. We analyzed the underlying mechanism of grain size stabilization in terms of the experimental results and the Zener pinning theory, and suggest that the pinning effect exerted by these nanoclusters significantly contributes to grain size stabilization of the NC Fe-Zr alloys.

Hardening on annealing (HOA) has been frequently observed in nanostructured metals and alloys. For nanostructured materials obtained by severe plastic deformation (SPD), HOA has been attributed to the reduction of dislocation sources within grains and grain boundary relaxation during annealing. In the present work, it is shown that when a bimodal grain structured (a mixture of micron-sized and ultrafine grains) Al-5Cu alloy prepared by equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) was subjected to post-ECAP natural and artificial aging treatments, the alloy shows a completely different precipitation behavior with an accelerated precipitation kinetics. No coherent θ'' or semi-coherent θ' precipitates form in the bulk of grains, while a large fraction of stable incoherent θ precipitates form along high angle boundaries. After artificial aging at low temperatures for a short time, a significant improvement of both ultimate tensile strength and uniform elongation was achieved without sacrificing the yield strength. A systematic microstructure characterization by EBSD, TEM and APT has been carried out to investigate the evolution of grain size, dislocation density and solid solution level of Cu as well as the precipitation of Al-Cu precipitates during natural and artificial aging treatments. A quantitative evaluation of different supposed strengthening mechanisms revealed that the segregation of Cu elements at grain boundaries plays a more important role than grain boundary relaxation and the dislocation source-limited strengthening to compensate the yield strength reduction caused by the decrease in dislocation density and solute content of Cu in solid solution. This is a submitted manuscript of an article published by Elsevier Ltd in Acta Materialia, 13 June 2018.

Grain boundary (GB) engineering via alloying opens a pathway to design the interfaces in alloys for tuning their mechanical properties, thus it is quite critical to determine the optimum addition of alloying element. Here, we prepared immiscible Cu-Cr alloyed thin films by non-equilibrium magnetron sputtering deposition to study Cr alloying effects on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Cu thin films. It is found that Cr doping can notably refine the grains and promote the formation of fully nanotwinned columnar grains at low Cr volume concentrations (≤∼3.7 at.%) associated with the average GB Cr concentrations ≤ ∼15 at.%, beyond which the formation of nanotwins is significantly suppressed. The role of Cr atoms/clusters played in the twinning process is rationalized in terms of dislocation rebound-promotion mechanism. Importantly, a maximum hardness is discovered at the optimum Cr addition of ∼2.0 at.%. The Cr concentration-dependent hardness of Cu-Cr alloyed films was quantified by a combined strengthening model. The achievement of the maximum hardness was related to the greatest GB solute segregation-induced strength contribution. It is further uncovered that the Cu-Cr system exhibits strain rate sensitivity (SRS, m) monotonically reduced with increasing the Cr concentration, ranging from a positive m of 0.0314 (for pure Cu) to a negative m of −0.0245, which is attributed to a competition between the dislocation-boundary interactions (increasing m) and the dislocation-solute atoms interactions (decreasing m). These findings provide valuable insights into tuning the composition of alloyed thin films to achieve optimized mechanical performance.

The structural and compositional evolution of precipitates in Al-Mg-Si-Cu alloys were systematically investigated by atomic resolution high-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy and atom probe tomography. In under-aged alloys, most of precipitates have a disordered structure, with a substructure of β″ (LDC) and Cu sub-unit cluster or C unit cell. After aging to peak strength, disordered precipitates including β″, QP1 and QP2 phases are formed. The disordered QP1 and QP2 phases, which contain the unit cells of Q′ and C phases, respectively, are the precursor phases of Q′ phase in these alloys. The β″ phase can transform into the disordered QP1 phase by incorporating Cu atoms, forming Cu sub-unit clusters and QP lattice. When the alloy is over-aged, the ordering and transformation of QP1 to Q′ occurs by the formation of Cu sub-unit clusters, the ordering of QP lattice, and the ordering of QC lattice. In contrast, the transformation of the disordered QP2 phase are rather sluggish. After sufficient aging, Q′, C and disordered QP2 transform into the Q phase. During the evolution of the precipitates in these alloys, a continuous incorporation of Mg, Si and Cu atoms and release of Al atoms occur. These findings provide new insights in understanding precipitation in Al-Mg-Si-Cu alloys.

A transmission electron microscope and an atom probe tomography were used to quantitatively characterize the microstructural evolution of Al-XCu alloys (X = 1.0, 1.5, and 2.5 wt%) with 0.3 wt% Sc addition. A dual solute alloying/microalloying effect on the microstructural evolution was demonstrated. On the one hand, the nucleation and coarsening of Al 3 Sc dispersoids displayed a Cu alloying effect . By increasing the Cu content, both the Al 3 Sc disperoid size and the volume fraction decreased after solution treatment. On the other hand, the precipitation of θ′ -Al 2 Cu strengthening particles during aging treatment was promoted by Sc segregation at the θ′ /matrix interfaces, showing a notable Sc microalloying effect . The strongest interfacial Sc segregation was generated in the Al-2.5 wt%Cu-Sc alloy, resulting in the most promoted θ′ precipitation. The Sc partitioning between Al 3 Sc dispersoids and Sc segregation at the θ′ /matrix interfaces, tailored by the Cu content, impacted the mechanical properties and deformation behavior at both room temperature and high temperature. The Al-2.5 wt%Cu-Sc alloy had a room temperature yield strength of approximately 2.2 times that in its Sc-free counterpart and approximately 1.8 times that in the Al-1.5 wt%Cu-Sc alloy, which is rationalized by strengthening models. In addition, the improvement in the high-temperature mechanical properties after Sc addition was discussed in terms of the Sc segregation-induced high coarsening resistance of θ′ precipitates.

Commercial precipitation-hardened Al-Cu alloys are normally used at temperatures below its ageing temperature of ∼225°C, to avoid thermally induced precipitate coarsening and resultant softening. Making such popular Al alloys creep resistant at or above 300°C is thus challenging. Here we present a modified precipitation protocol, exploiting Sc-microalloying and a carefully designed three-step heat treatment to enhance Sc segregation at the matrix/θ′-Al2Cu precipitate interfaces. The stabilized nanoprecipitates enable an order-of-magnitude reduction in creep rate at 300°C, demonstrating the room for microstructure improvement and the potential for property elevation in traditional engineering alloys through innovative processing coupled with synergetic alloying elements. A carefully designed precipitation protocol produces stable nanoprecipitates in Sc-microalloyed Al-Cu alloys, rendering an order-of-magnitude elevation of creep resistance at 300°C.

As to the increasing demands for the light materials in weight-sensitive fields, scandium (Sc) is arguably known as one of the most attractive and effective microalloying elements to develop high-performance aluminum-based alloys applied at elevated temperature. This report exemplifies how the Sc microalloying effect can be fully utilized to seek for the synergetic stabilization between dual precipitates, more than simply forming the well-known Al3Sc nanoprecipitates. Two sets of precipitation protocols are introduced to create a coexistence of θ′-Al2Cu and Al3Sc precipitates in an Al–Cu–Sc alloy, and the thermal stabilization of the two precipitates is found to be closely correlated. In the case of θ′-Al2Cu precipitate decomposed because of an invalid protection from weak interfacial Sc segregation, the Al3Sc precipitates will coarsen much quickly, which induces a simultaneous loss in thermal stability and strengthening effect of the dual precipitates. In contrast, a sensible approach is proposed to induce a strong Sc segregation at the θ′-Al2Cu/matrix interface to greatly stabilizes the θ′-Al2Cu precipitates even crept at 300°C and concomitantly suppresses the coarsening of Al3Sc precipitates, leading to extremely high creep resistance. The acceleration effect of the Cu on the Al3Sc coarsening is illustrated and can be alternatively prohibited by modified Sc partitioning to stabilized θ′-Al2Cu precipitates as Cu storage and thus provides a much stronger coupling precipitate strengthening as well as creep resistance at elevated temperatures. This strategy is broadly applicable to other high-temperature alloy containing Sc together with primary elements such as Si, Mg, and Zn via the creation of precipitate co-stabilization.