The effect of La on the synthesis and properties of a W-Ti alloy

A new method for the synthesis of tungsten-titanium alloys dispersed with in-situ RE-oxides was developed. In this paper, the addition of the rare earth element lanthanum in W-Ti alloys has been investigated. The results suggested that La plays an important role in influencing the formation of dispersed oxides, which can further change the microstructural evolution and mechanical properties of the W-Ti alloys. A complicated oxide particle was found in this study and has been identified as the LaTiO3/TiO2 structure, which could be associated with the interaction between La2O3 and TiO2 during mechanical alloying. Nanoindentation was further used to measure local variations in the mechanical properties of the alloys, which could correspond to interfaces between the dispersed oxides and the tungsten matrix where the bond strengths are different form the bulk alloy.