Optimizing the dual-phase heterostructured Ag-Cu-Ga alloys through In content adjustment and heat treatment processes to achieve an outstanding strength-ductility synergy

HP Yang and YD Sui and JH Yang and ZL Tan and XY Wang and YH Jiang, JOURNAL OF ALLOYS AND COMPOUNDS, 1036, 181998 (2025).

DOI: 10.1016/j.jallcom.2025.181998

This work examines the transformation of Ag-Cu-Ga alloys from a dual- phase structure to layered heterostructures through the incorporation of moderate quantities of In elements and under traditional large deformation heating treatment conditions. The findings indicate that the incorporation of 1 wt% In element refines the Cu-rich phase while allowing the hard domains to better enclose and constrain the soft domains, and increases the hardness difference between the soft and hard domains of the dual-phase heterostructured alloy by 5.22 times. The Ag-49Cu-5Ga-1In specimen demonstrated an intense Hetero-deformation induced effect, enabling the formation of a layered heterostructured alloy with a tensile strength of 433.3 MPa and an elongation of 32.6 %, thereby achieving a balance of high strength and commendable ductility. During the stretching process, a large number of Geometrically necessary dislocations will accumulate at the interface to coordinate the deformation due to the large strain gradient between the interfaces and the difference in deformation state between the grains. Macroscopic strain bands will be diffusely spread across the specimen's surface to accommodate the applied strain and enhance elongation. The deformation behavior of heterogeneous alloys was modeled by molecular dynamics simulations to clarify the impact of atomic transitions and the development of Geometrically necessary dislocations on mechanical characteristics.

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