Simultaneously improving thermal conductivity, mechanical properties and metal fluidity through Cu alloying in Mg-Zn-based alloys

YT Zhang and W Liu and WP Chen and ZQ Li and H Hou and YH Zhao, JOURNAL OF MAGNESIUM AND ALLOYS, 12, 3823-3839 (2024).

DOI: 10.1016/j.jma.2024.04.014

Mg-Zn-based alloys have been widely used in computer, communication, and consumer (3C) products due to excellent thermal conductivity. However, it is still a challenge to balance their mechanical performance and thermal conductivity. Here, we investigate microstructure, mechanical performance, thermal conductivity and metal fluidity of Mg-5Zn (wt.%) alloy after Cu alloying by experimental and simulation methods. First, Mg-5Zn alloy consist of alpha-Mg matrix and interdendritic MgZn phases. As the Cu content increases, however, MgZn phases disappear but intragranular Mg2Cu and interdendritic MgZnCu phases appear in Mg-5Zn-Cu alloys. Besides, the grain size of alpha-Mg phase is refined and the volume fraction of MgZnCu phase increases as the Cu content increases. Second, Cu addition is found to improve thermal conductivity of Mg-5Zn alloy remarkably. Especially, Mg-5Zn-4Cu alloy exhibits the best thermal conductivity of 124 W/(mK), which is mainly due to the significant reduction in both solid solubility of Zn in the alpha-Mg matrix and lattice distortion of alpha-Mg matrix. Moreover, a stable crystal structure of MgZnCu phase also contributes to an increased thermal conductivity based on first principles and molecular dynamics simulations. Third, Cu addition simultaneously enhances strength and ductility of Mg-5Zn alloy. Tensile yield strength and elongation of Mg-5Zn-6Cu alloy reach 117 MPa and 18.0 %, respectively, which is a combined result of refinement, solution, second phase, and dislocation strengthening. Finally, combined with a phase field simulation, we found that Cu addition enhances metal fluidity of Mg-5Zn alloy. On the one hand, Cu alloying not only delays dendrite growth but also prolongs solidification time. On the other hand, MgZnCu phase stabilizes the dendrite growth of the alpha-Mg phases by reducing energy consumption during solidification of liquid metal. This work demonstrates that Cu alloying is an ideal strategy for synergistically improving the thermal conductivity, mechanical performance and metal fluidity of Mg-based alloys. (c) 2024 Chongqing University. Publishing services provided by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of KeAi Communications Co. Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/) Peer review under responsibility of Chongqing University

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