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Size-dependent diffusion controls natural aging in aluminium alloys
Phillip Dumitraschkewitz1, Peter J Uggowitzer2,3, Stephan S A Gerstl3,4
1Chair of Nonferrous Metallurgy, Department of Metallurgy, Montanuniversitaet Leoben, Franz-Josef-Str. 18, 8700, Leoben, Austria. phillip.dumitraschkewitz@unileoben.ac.at.
Nature Communications
|October 20, 2019
Summary
Natural aging in aluminum-magnesium-silicon alloys is halted at the nanoscale due to a size effect. Non-equilibrium vacancy diffusion stops in nanometer-sized samples, preventing solute atom clustering and property changes.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Physical Metallurgy
- Solid-State Physics
Background:
- Phase transformation kinetics in metals are governed by atomic diffusion.
- Non-equilibrium vacancies are crucial for enabling diffusion and subsequent microstructural changes in alloys.
- Natural aging, a process involving solute atom movement, significantly alters alloy properties and is linked to vacancy diffusion.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the influence of sample size on natural aging in an aluminum-magnesium-silicon (AlMgSi) alloy.
- To elucidate the role of non-equilibrium vacancy diffusion in size-dependent microstructural evolution.
- To understand the implications of nanoscale effects on diffusion studies and microscopy techniques.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing atom probe tomography (APT) for near-atomic resolution imaging.
- Preparing and analyzing AlMgSi alloy samples of varying sizes, including nanoscale dimensions.
- Correlating observed microstructural features with diffusional processes.
Main Results:
- A distinct size effect on natural aging was observed in the AlMgSi alloy.
- Non-equilibrium vacancy diffusion and subsequent solute clustering were found to cease when sample size approached the nanometer scale.
- This nanoscale limitation precludes natural aging in sub-micron sized samples.
Conclusions:
- Sample size critically influences non-equilibrium vacancy diffusion and natural aging phenomena in alloys.
- Nanoscale samples exhibit a suppression of diffusion-controlled processes, impacting microstructural development.
- These findings are vital for interpreting diffusion studies and microstructural analyses conducted at the nanoscale.
