Now, researchers from Max Planck and Jiao Tong Universities have discovered a method for developing scandium-enhanced aluminum that's 40% stronger with five times higher resistance to hydrogen embrittlement, Interesting Engineering reported.
What are aluminum alloys used for?
Aluminum alloys are widely used in fields such as marine, aerospace, and hydrogen energy storage and transportation. During the development and application of lightweight aluminum alloys, stress corrosion cracking (SCC) and hydrogen embrittlement have been major problems throughout the entire application history of aluminum alloys.
Can complex-structured hydrogen storage particles be controlled in high-strength aluminum alloys?
This work achieved the controllable phase transformation construction of complex-structured hydrogen storage particles, demonstrating an effective way to overcome the contradiction between "strength and hydrogen embrittlement sensitivity" in high-strength aluminum alloys.
Can nanoscale complex intermetallic phases be used to develop hydrogen-tolerant aluminum alloys?
The strategy of growing nanoscale complex intermetallic phases on nano-strengthening phases laid a theoretical foundation for the development of advanced hydrogen-tolerant aluminum alloys with higher strength. Jiang Shengyu, a doctoral student at Xi'an Jiaotong University, is the first author of the article. Dr.
The relevant research results, titled "Structurally complex phase engineering enables hydrogen-tolerant Al alloys," were published online in Nature.
Why do we use dual nanoprecipitates in Al-Mg-Sc alloys?
The tailored distribution of dual nanoprecipitates in our Al–Mg–Sc alloy provides about a 40% increase in strength and nearly five times improved HE resistance compared with the Sc-free alloy, reaching a record tensile uniform elongation in Al alloys charged with H up to 7 ppmw.