Heterogeneous Mg-based nanocomposites with simultaneously improved strength and toughness

Abstract The cryomilling induced microstructure evolution of the heterogeneous Mg-based nanocomposites (5 vol% SiC nanocomposites) was investigated. The strength and malleability/toughness of nanocomposites were increased simultaneously due to the optimized microstructure when extending the milling time, and it broke the conflicts between strength and toughness in Mg-based composites. The strength and malleability/toughness were affected by the crystalline orientation and the thickness of flake-like soft region. It demonstrated the unique heterogeneous structure design is an attractive approach to synthesize high performance Mg-based nanocomposites.