Micro-nano secondary phase greatly increases the plasticity of titanium-zirconium-molybdenum alloy

Improving ductility without sacrificing strength remains challenging for brittle molybdenum and its alloys. Titanium‑zirconium‑molybdenum alloy with the micro-nano-scale secondary phases (MN-TZM) was prepared using titanium sulfate, zirconium nitrate, fructose, and molybdenum powder as raw materials. The elongation at failure of the MN-TZM alloy was increased by 2.3 times to 15.1% without sacrificing strength. The fracture of the MN-TZM alloy exhibited cleavage and ductile tearing characteristics. Transmission electron microscopy and electron backscatter diffraction results indicate that dislocations can slip along the (110) plane at different strains, bypassing or even passing through the micro-nano-scale secondary phase (MN-SP) in MN-TZM alloys. The stacking faults and dislocation junctions of the MN-TZM alloy substructure avoid stress concentration and enhance the deformation ability. This study provides theoretical guidance for the industrial production of high-performance secondary-phase dispersion-strengthened structural materials, linking process-structure-properties relationships.