Aging Kinetics and Activation Energy-Based Modeling of Electrical Conductivity Evolution in a Cu–4Ti Alloy

The aging behavior and electrical performance evolution of Cu–4Ti alloy were systematically investigated through experimental characterization and theoretical modeling. A series of solution and aging treatments were conducted at temperatures ranging from 450 °C to 600 °C for durations of 1–420 min, with and without 50% cold deformation. Based on solid-state diffusion theory, the activation energy of the aging process was determined using the Arrhenius relationship combined with regression analysis. The calculated activation energies were 298.5 kcal·mol−1 for the solution-treated alloy and 136.1 kcal·mol−1 for the cold-deformed alloy, indicating that deformation-induced lattice defects substantially accelerate atomic diffusion and precipitation kinetics. A predictive model was further established to describe electrical conductivity as a function of aging temperature and time, with high correlation coefficients (R2 = 0.90 for the non-deformed and R2 = 0.89 for the deformed condition). The model accurately captures the conductivity evolution under various heat treatment conditions, demonstrating its strong predictive capability. Moreover, kinetic curves were constructed to intuitively represent the relationship between conductivity, temperature, and time, providing a rapid and visual tool for process optimization.