Influence op grain size on the high-temperature ductility of an aluminum-Al 2O 3 alloy

Abstract

Yttria dispersion-strengthened tungsten with both enhanced strength and ductility was synthesized through sol–gel method followed by sintering and high-temperature swaging. The sol–gel synthesis process involving a molecular-level doping leads to a unique nanostructure that Y2O3 nano-particles were homogeneously dispersed in tungsten grains interior. The nanosized Y2O3 particles in sol–gel synthesized W-1%Y2O3 are stable in size even under a high sintering temperature of 2300 °C. The swaged sol–gel W-1%Y2O3 show ductility at a relative low temperature of 250 °C, which is about 100 °C and 250 °C lower than that of spark-plasma-sintered sol–gel W-1%Y2O3 and ball-milling synthesized W-1%Y2O3, respectively. The sol–gel method provides a promising access to high-performance nanostructured tungsten materials with both high strength and ductility, and can be easily scaled for industrial production.