A Perspective on Mg/Al Laminated Metal Composites

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Metallurgy
• Composite Materials

Background:

• Magnesium/aluminum laminated metal composites (LMCs) offer lightweighting potential by combining Mg and Al alloys.
• Direct bonding leads to brittle Al-Mg intermetallic compounds (IMCs), degrading mechanical properties.
• Challenges include deformation mismatch and interfacial reactions hindering practical applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review Mg/Al LMCs, focusing on interfacial reactions and fabrication.
• To explore the shift from IMC suppression to active interfacial-phase design.
• To identify opportunities and challenges for AI-driven development of lightweight LMCs.

Main Methods:

• Review of historical development and fabrication routes of Mg/Al LMCs.
• Analysis of thermodynamics and kinetics of interfacial reactions.
• Exploration of artificial intelligence applications in materials design.

Main Results:

• Direct bonding of Mg/Al alloys results in detrimental Al-Mg IMCs.
• Active interfacial-phase design offers a promising alternative to IMC suppression.
• AI presents emerging opportunities for optimizing LMC design and manufacturing.

Conclusions:

• Overcoming interfacial challenges is crucial for Mg/Al LMC applications.
• Future research should focus on process-interface-property correlations and AI-driven design.
• Development of high-performance lightweight LMCs requires integrated approaches.