Synergistic interfacial design and dual-phase precipitation for high-strength, high-thermal-conductivity Mg-Zn-Al/MWCNT composites

IF 6.2 2区材料科学 Q1 MATERIALS SCIENCE, CHARACTERIZATION & TESTING

Materials Characterization Pub Date : 2026-04-01 Epub Date: 2026-02-26 DOI:10.1016/j.matchar.2026.116201

Jiangtao Hou , Wenbo Du , Siqing Feng , Xin Xu , Cheng Liu , Yiming Li , Langxiang Zhong , Yujia Xu , Yunhao Kang

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Abstract

In the present work, Mg-Zn-Al matrix composites reinforced with multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were synthesized using a powder metallurgy route coupled with an aging treatment. The influence of Al content and MWCNT addition on the microstructure, mechanical properties, and thermal conductivity of the composites was examined. It was found that the MWCNTs were uniformly dispersed within the matrix, and a partially inserted (PI) interface formed between them and the Mg matrix. After aging treatment, the precipitated phases in the composites consisted of

β_{1}^{'}

phase and icosahedral quasi-crystal phase (I phase), and the dominant precipitate shifted from

β_{1}^{'}

to I phase as Al content exceeded 1.5 wt%. The evaluation of mechanical properties revealed that the aged Mg-6Zn-1.5Al/0.4MWCNTs composite exhibited tensile yield and ultimate tensile strengths of 296 MPa and 371 MPa, respectively, exhibiting 39% and 25% enhancements compared to the Mg6Zn alloy. Meanwhile, the composite maintained a high thermal conductivity of 101.4 W/(m·K). The enhanced mechanical strength was primarily attributed to the efficient load transfer enabled by well-dispersed MWCNTs with strong interfacial bonding, and was further supplemented by the synergistic strengthening from dual precipitates, Al-induced texture strengthening and minor grain refinement. The high thermal conductivity of the composite was due to the acceleration effect of MWCNTs on free electron migration, coupled with the alleviation of lattice distortions in the Mg matrix caused by the precipitation of

β_{1}^{'}

phase and I phase.

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高强度、高导热Mg-Zn-Al/MWCNT复合材料的协同界面设计和双相沉淀

采用粉末冶金和时效处理相结合的方法，制备了多壁碳纳米管增强Mg-Zn-Al基复合材料。考察了Al含量和MWCNT添加量对复合材料显微组织、力学性能和导热性能的影响。结果表明，MWCNTs均匀分散在基体内，并与Mg基体形成部分插入界面。时效处理后，复合材料的析出相主要为β1′相和二十面体准晶相（I相），当Al含量超过1.5 wt%时，主要析出相由β1′相转向I相。力学性能评价表明，时效Mg-6Zn-1.5Al/0.4MWCNTs复合材料的屈服强度和极限抗拉强度分别为296 MPa和371 MPa，比Mg6Zn合金提高了39%和25%。同时，复合材料保持了101.4 W/（m·K）的高导热系数。机械强度的增强主要是由于分散良好且界面结合牢固的MWCNTs实现了有效的载荷传递，并进一步得到双析出相、al诱导织构强化和微小晶粒细化的协同强化。复合材料的高导热性是由于MWCNTs对自由电子迁移的加速作用，加上减轻了β1′相和I相析出引起的Mg基体中的晶格畸变。

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来源期刊

Materials Characterization 工程技术-材料科学：表征与测试

CiteScore

7.60

自引率

8.50%

发文量

746

审稿时长

36 days

期刊介绍： Materials Characterization features original articles and state-of-the-art reviews on theoretical and practical aspects of the structure and behaviour of materials. The Journal focuses on all characterization techniques, including all forms of microscopy (light, electron, acoustic, etc.,) and analysis (especially microanalysis and surface analytical techniques). Developments in both this wide range of techniques and their application to the quantification of the microstructure of materials are essential facets of the Journal. The Journal provides the Materials Scientist/Engineer with up-to-date information on many types of materials with an underlying theme of explaining the behavior of materials using novel approaches. Materials covered by the journal include: Metals & Alloys Ceramics Nanomaterials Biomedical materials Optical materials Composites Natural Materials.