A high strength and ductility Zn–Cu–Mg alloy achieved by bandlike distribution of ultra-fine CuZn5 and Mg2Zn11 particles

Banded structure with alternately arranged ultra-fine η-Zn + Mg 2 Zn 11 bands and ultra-fine η-Zn + CuZn 5 bands was obtained in Zn–3Cu–1Mg (wt.%) alloy after multi-pass equal channel angular pressing (ECAP). Owing to the effective heterogeneous deformation-induced (HDI) strengthening and hardening from soft η-Zn + CuZn 5 and hard η-Zn + Mg 2 Zn 11 domains, the ECAP alloys exhibited outstanding mechanical properties with ultimate tensile strength of 388–415 MPa, and fracture elongation of 29.2–63.0%.