HIGH-DENSITY THERMODYNAMICALLY STABLE NANOSTRUCTURED COPPER-BASED BULK METALLIC SYSTEMS, AND METHODS OF MAKING THE SAME

摘要

High-density thermodynamically stable nanostructured copper-based metallic systems, and methods of making, are presented herein. A ternary high-density thermodynamically stable nanostructured copper-based metallic system includes: a solvent of copper (Cu) metal; that comprises 50 to 95 atomic percent (at. %) of the metallic system; a first solute metal dispersed in the solvent that comprises 0.01 to 50 at. % of the metallic system; and a second solute metal dispersed in the solvent that comprises 0.01 to 50 at. % of the metallic system. The internal grain size of the solvent is suppressed to no more than 250 nm at 98% of the melting point temperature of the solvent and the solute metals remain uniformly dispersed in the solvent at that temperature. Processes for forming these metallic systems include: subjecting powder metals to a high-energy milling process, and consolidating the resultant powder metal subjected to the milling to form a bulk material.

主权项

1. A binary or higher order high-density thermodynamically stable nanostructured copper-tantalum metallic system comprising:
a solvent of copper (Cu) metal that comprises 70 to 99.99 atomic percent (at. %) of the metallic system; and a solute of tantalum (Ta) metal dispersed in the solvent metal, that comprises 0.01 to 30 at. % of the metallic system, the metallic system having an average grain size of no more than approximately 10 nm, wherein the metallic system is thermally stable, with the absence of substantial gross grain growth, such that the internal grain size of the solvent metal is substantially suppressed to no more than about 250 nm at approximately 98% of the melting point temperature of the solvent metal and the solute metal remains substantially uniformly dispersed in the solvent metal at that temperature.