Atomic-scale investigation on the evolution of T1 precipitates in an aged Al-Cu-Li-Mg-Ag alloy

doi:10.1016/j.jmst.2024.04.073

Abstract

Abstract: The T₁ (Al₂CuLi) phase is one of the most effective strengthening nanoscale-precipitate in Al-Cu alloys with Li. However, its formation and evolution still need to be further clarified during aging due to the complex precipitation sequences. Here, a detailed investigation has been carried out on the atomic structural evolution of T₁ precipitate in an aged Al-Cu-Li-Mg-Ag alloy using state-of-the-art Cs-corrected high-angle annular dark field (HAADF)- coupled with integrated differential phase contrast (iDPC)-scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDXS) techniques. An intermediate T₁’ phase between T_1p and T₁ phase, with a crystal structure and orientation relationship consistent with T₁, but exhibiting different atomic occupancy and chemical composition was found. We observed the atomic structural transformation from T_1p to T₁’ phase (fcc→hcp), involving only 1/12<112>_Al shear component. DFT calculation results validated our proposed structural models and the precipitation sequence. Besides, the distributions of minor solute elements (Ag, Mg, and Zn) in the precipitates exhibited significant differences. These findings may contribute to a further understanding of the nucleation mechanism of T₁ precipitate.

Key words: Precipitate, Chemical composition, Atomic structure, Aluminium alloy, STEM

Xinyue Zhao, Juan Ding, Daihong Xiao, Lanping Huang, Wensheng Liu. Atomic-scale investigation on the evolution of T₁ precipitates in an aged Al-Cu-Li-Mg-Ag alloy[J]. J. Mater. Sci. Technol., 2025, 209: 139-148.

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Atomic-scale investigation on the evolution of T₁ precipitates in an aged Al-Cu-Li-Mg-Ag alloy

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