Microstructures and mechanical properties of Mg2Sn-nanophase reinforced Mg-Mg2Sn composite

A kind of new Mg-Mg2Sn composite was developed successfully. The Mg2Sn reinforcement was synthesized effectively by milling micro-sized Mg and nano-sized Sn powders. The effect of milling on formation of Mg2Sn phase from elements powders was investigated. The microstructures and mechanical properties of the composite were presented. The results showed that, high surface activation of raw nano-sized Sn powder would be greatly beneficial to accelerate transformation efficiency of Mg2Sn nanophase from Mg-Sn mixture. After sintering, Mg2Sn cluster consisting of Mg2Sn nanophase was uniformly distributed in the matrix. The Mg-Mg2Sn composite exhibited an appreciable benefit in terms of hardness and compressive strength, while ductility remained quite high.