Nucleation and growth mechanism of Ag precipitates in a CuAgZr alloy

CuAgZr alloy is a variant of the CuAg alloy that is developed for high strength and high conductivity applications. Its strengthening is accomplished mainly by the precipitation of Ag precipitates, which tend to align on {111} planes in the Cu matrix. This alignment has been reported to be caused by stacking faults on {111} planes. Contrary to these reports, this research presents evidence for Ag precipitates formation on {111} planes due to the minimization of elastic energy. The Ag precipitates were formed by clustering of Ag atoms while maintaining the fcc crystal structure of the matrix. They have faceted {111} interfaces with the matrix. The thickening of precipitates appears to be by the ledge growth mechanism, which is resulted in by misfit dislocation networks on the interface. © 2014 Elsevier B.V.