Effect of Annealing on Microstructure, Grain Growth and Hardness of Nanocrystalline Cu-Zr Alloy Prepared by Cryogenic Ball Milling

Nanocrystalline Cu-0.75 at.%Zr alloy was synthesized by high energy ball milling under cryogenic temperature. To investigate the influence of 0.75 at.%Zr addition on thermal stabilization of nanocrystalline state of Copper, milled powder was annealed up to T/Tm = 0.79 for 1h in an inert atmosphere. The microstructural changes of both milled and annealed powders were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Mechanical properties were determined in terms of hardness. It was found that addition of 0.75 at.%Zr can stabilize grain size at higher temperature, i.e., ~ 32 nm at 800oC (T/Tm = 0.79). The hardness of Cu-0.75 at.%Zr at 800oC was found to decrease by only ~ 13% as opposed to a 65% decrease in pure copper from cryomilled condition. The thermal stability of Cu-0.75 at.%Zr system at high temperatures was attributed to the kinetic stabilization, i.e., grain boundary pinning by intermetallic phases. Thermal stability contributions were assessed by thermodynamic models elicits added Zr is not sufficient for stabilization, rather kinetic stabilization (by intermetallic pinning of grain boundary) became active at higher annealing temperature.