Enhanced strength and ductility in an additively manufactured Al10SiMg alloy at cryogenic temperatures
Abstract The increasing demand for lightweight materials that maintain mechanical integrity at ultralow temperatures has driven the development of advanced alloys for cryogenic applications. Additive manufacturing using laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) offers a scalable approach to producing alloys with tailored properties. Here we show that LPBF-manufactured Al10SiMg alloy exhibits significant increase in ultimate tensile strength (395 MPa) and uniform elongation (25%) at an ultralow temperature of 15 K. The enhanced properties result from grain refinement, increased geometrically necessary dislocations, and stress partitioning between the Al matrix and the stiffer Si phase, which supports strain accommodation during deformation. The in-situ neutron diffraction revealed that the Si phase carries most of the load due to its higher yield strength, while the Al matrix experiences continuous strain hardening, enabling an extended deformation capacity. These findings highlight the potential of Al10SiMg for cryogenic applications such as hydrogen storage systems, aerospace components, and quantum computing hardware.
Authors
- Asif Ur Rehman (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0163-7017)
- Hüseyin Aydın (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8600-2984)
- Muhammad Naeem (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3243-8130)
- Xun‐Li Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4060-8777)
- Yusuf Usta (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2403-155X)
- Wu Gong (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3721-2528)
- Metin U. Salamcı (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6150-8014)
- Liliana Romero-Resendiz (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7061-8648)
- Olcay Ersel Canyurt (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3690-6608)
- Elmas Salamcı (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2856-9402)
- Stefanus Harjo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7386-2398)
- Peyman Ansari (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7330-1600)
Institutions
- Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JP)
- City University of Hong Kong (HK)
- Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex (JP)
- City University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen Research Institute (CN)
- TÜBİTAK Marmara Research Center (TR)
- University College London (GB)
- University of Birmingham (GB)
- Bournemouth University (GB)
- Gazi University (TR)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Communications Materials
- Published
- 2025-04-06
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s43246-025-00793-4
- Citations
- 2
- Primary Topic
- Additive Manufacturing Materials and Processes
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 1.43
Funders
- Asia-Oceania Neutron Scattering Association
- Materials and Life Science Experimental Facility
- Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex
- Türkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Araştırma Kurumu
- HORIZON EUROPE Framework Programme