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Enhanced strength–plasticity synergy of copper composites by designing uniformly dispersed yttria nanoparticles and a heterogeneous grain structure

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Abstract

Designing heterogeneous grain structure (HGS) has been proven to be an effective strategy for overcoming the strength-plasticity dilemma in copper and copper alloys. However, the construction of HGS in dispersion-strengthened copper (DSC) for enhancing strength-plasticity synergy remains challenging. Here, we proposed a novel method, multistep ball milling and reduction process followed by spark plasma sintering, to prepare DSC with an HGS to ameliorate the strength-plasticity dilemma in DSC. Micron- and nano-CuO and nano-Y2O3 powders were chosen as raw materials in this new method. The Cu-7 vol% Y2O3 composite, exhibiting a compressive yield strength of 438 MPa and a failure strain of 46.3%, exhibits a superior strength-plasticity tradeoff in comparison with other DSC materials. Systematic experiments indicate that the back-stress at the heterointerfaces between coarse grains and fine grains maybe not only raise the yield strength of Cu-Y2O3 composite, but also significantly enhance the strain hardening to increase the plasticity of the material. The new HGS designing route in this study offers a feasible pathway to develop DSC with a remarkable enhancement in strength and plasticity.

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摘要

在铜及其合金中通过设计异质晶粒结构已被证明是缓解材料**塑互斥的有效策略。然而，在弥散**化铜基复合材料中构建异质晶粒结构以实现材料**塑协同**化仍充满挑战。本文以微米CuO、纳米CuO和纳米Y2O3粉作为原材料，采用多步球磨多步还原工艺结合放电等离子烧结技术制备的Cu-7 vol%Y2O3复合材料实现了具有纳米氧化钇弥散分布和基体呈异质晶粒结构的组织特征，其压缩屈服**度为438 MPa，最大压缩应变为46.3%，与其他弥散**化铜材料相比展现出良好的**度与塑性**衡性。通过对材料变形前后的组织结构进行表征与系统分析，异质晶粒之间界面处的背应力不仅可以提高Cu-Y2O3复合材料的屈服**度，还能显著增**应变硬化，从而提高材料的塑性。该研究为开发具有**塑**衡的弥散**化铜基复合材料提供了一种可行的方法。

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Acknowledgements

This study was financially supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (No. 2016YFB0301401), the Major Science and Technology R&D Project of Jiangxi Province (No. 20223AAG01009), the Qingjiang Young Talents Support Program of Jiangxi University of Science and Technology (No. JXUSTQJYX2020014), the Doctoral Scientific Research Foundation of Jiangxi University of Science and Technology (No. 205200100523) and the University Leading Talent Training Project of Jiangxi Province—Young Leading Talents (No. QN2023036).

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  1. Xue-Hui Zhang and Hai-**ang Yuan have contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Materials Science and Engineering, Jiangxi University of Science and Technology, Ganzhou, 341000, China

    Xue-Hui Zhang, Hai-**ang Yuan, Fei Huang, Bin Yang, Long-Fei Zeng, **n-Hao Li & Ya-Jian Huang

  2. Periodical Press, Jiangxi University of Science and Technology, Ganzhou, 341000, China

    Fei Huang

  3. College of Rare Earth, Jiangxi University of Science and Technology, Ganzhou, 341000, China

    Hang Wang & Bin Yang

  4. College of Engineering and Emerging Technologies, University of the Punjab, Lahore, 54000, Pakistan

    Tahir Ahmad

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Zhang, XH., Yuan, HX., Huang, F. et al. Enhanced strength–plasticity synergy of copper composites by designing uniformly dispersed yttria nanoparticles and a heterogeneous grain structure. Rare Met. (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12598-024-02895-3

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