Mechanically Workable High-strength Cu-Zr Composite

Ultrafine-grained or nanostructured alloys usually lack the strain hardening capability needed to sustain uniform tensile deformation under high stresses. To circumvent this problem, we fabricated the Cubased composite reinforced with the 3-dimensionally interconnected Cu₅Zr phase using the combined technique of rapid quenching and subsequent hot-rolling. The alloy exhibited a tensile ductility of ⁓2.5% together with a strength of 1.57 GPa, which exceeds the values of most commercially available Cu-Be alloys. In this study, we elucidated the structural origin of the high strength and tensile ductility of the developed alloy by examining the thermal stability of the Cu₅Zr reinforcing phase and the energy (work) absorption capability of the Cu matrix.