Breakthrough Cu-Ta-Li alloy could transform aerospace, defense applications, researchers say

Researchers from the US Army Research Laboratory (ARL) and Lehigh University have developed a groundbreaking nanostructured copper alloy, published in the journal Science, with exceptional thermal stability and mechanical strength. The Cu-Ta-Li (Copper-Tantalum-Lithium) alloy is one of the most resilient copper-based materials ever created. The breakthrough comes from the formation of Cu₃Li precipitates, stabilized by a Ta-rich atomic bilayer complexion, a concept pioneered by the Lehigh researchers. Unlike typical grain boundaries that migrate over time at high temperatures, this complexion acts as a structural stabilizer, maintaining the nanocrystalline structure, preventing grain growth and dramatically improving high-temperature performance. “This is cutting-edge science, developing a new material that uniquely combines copper’s excellent conductivity with strength and durability on the scale of nickel-based superalloys,” Martin P. Harmer, the Alcoa Foundation Professor Emeritus of Materials Science and Engineering at Lehigh University and a co-author of the study, said in a statement.  “It provides industry and the military with the foundation to create new materials for hypersonics and high performance turbine engines”Martin P. Harmer, Lehigh University“It provides industry and the military with the foundation to create new materials for hypersonics and high performance turbine engines,” Harmer said. The ARL and Lehigh researchers collaborated with scientists from Arizona State University and Louisiana State University to develop the alloy, which can withstand extreme heat without significant degradation. Notably, the alloy maintained high yield strength and creep resistance while resisting coarsening after a 10,000-hour annealing at 800° C. The ARL was awarded a US patent for the alloy, highlighting its strategic significance, particularly in defense applications like military heat exchangers, propulsion systems and hypersonic vehicles. Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Mining.com Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Mining.com