Metal matrix composites (MMCs) are the materials-of-choice for a large range of important applications under harsh service conditions. However, owing to the high phase contrast between the matrix and the reinforcements, the strength-ductility conflict of MMCs is still outstanding. Here we fabricated a novel aluminum (Al) matrix composite reinforced by deformable, cobalt-zirconium-boron (CoZrB) metallic glass nanoparticles. The amorphous CoZrB/Al composite with only 2.0 vol.% particle reinforcements possessed a uniaxial tensile strength of 387.0 ± 1.2 MPa, showing over 80 % improvement over the unreinforced pure Al matrix at a similar uniform elongation. The strength-ductility synergy of the composite was also significantly superior to that of the composite reinforced by fully crystallized nanoparticles. These findings were rationalized by the unique multi-functionality of the amorphous particle/matrix interfaces, which effectively transferred the load from the matrix to the particles, coordinated the co-deformation of the nanoparticles and the matrix, and imparted a transgranular fracture mode in the composite with extensive matrix plastic deformation. The methodology developed in this study was shown to be generally effective for other matrix and metallic glass nanoparticle compositions, and our work may shed new light on the development of high-performance metal matrix composites for advanced structural applications.

中文翻译：

---

多功能非晶/结晶界面赋予高强度和延展性的纳米金属玻璃/铝复合材料


金属基复合材料 (MMC) 是恶劣使用条件下多种重要应用的首选材料。然而，由于基体和增强体之间的高相差，MMCs的强度-延展性冲突仍然突出。在这里，我们制造了一种新型铝（Al）基复合材料，由可变形的钴锆硼（CoZrB）金属玻璃纳米颗粒增强。仅含有 2.0 vol.% 颗粒增强体的非晶 CoZrB/Al 复合材料的单轴拉伸强度为 387.0 ± 1.2 MPa，在类似的均匀伸长率下，比未增强的纯 Al 基体提高了 80% 以上。该复合材料的强度-延展性协同也明显优于完全结晶纳米粒子增强的复合材料。这些发现通过非晶颗粒/基体界面独特的多功能性得到合理化，该界面有效地将载荷从基体转移到颗粒，协调纳米颗粒和基体的共同变形，并在材料中赋予穿晶断裂模式。具有广泛基体塑性变形的复合材料。本研究中开发的方法被证明对其他基体和金属玻璃纳米颗粒组合物普遍有效，我们的工作可能为先进结构应用的高性能金属基复合材料的开发提供新的思路。