Reforming nanostructured CuAg alloy to improve ductility and electrical conductivity

Nanostructured metallic materials often lack sufficient work-hardening capability and suffer premature necking during tensile loading. In this study, intense rolling strain was applied to process nanocrystalline CuAg sheet, and aging treatment was designed to further tailor the microstructure and properties. Features of grains, Ag precipitates and short-range ordered (SRO) structure were characterized by transmission electron microscope (TEM). Superior tensile strength of 600 MPa, uniform elongation of 10% and electrical conductivity of 86.7% IACS were successfully achieved. Mechanisms for the balanced mechanical and electrical properties were analyzed.