Improvement of strength and conductivity for Cu-Ti alloys aged in a hydrogen atmosphere

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We attempted to prepare Cu-Ti based alloys with a high strength and a high electrical conductivity by hydrogenation procedures. The electrical conductivity of Cu-Ti alloys was significantly improved without degradation of the mechanical properties by aging in a hydrogen atmosphere. The strengthening was primarily due to fine dispersion of needle-shaped Cu4Ti precipitates, which was similar with the case of conventional aging in vacuum. The enhancement of the conductivity was due to a reduction of a concentration of solute Ti in the matrix phase, which was caused by co-precipitation of Cu4Ti and TiH2. The balance of the strength and conductivity was improved by aging under a higher hydrogen pressure at a low temperature. Prior-deformation before aging was also useful to improve the properties. Eventually, we demonstrated that optimizing the thermomechanical process conditions imparted an excellent balance of strength and conductivity, of more than 950 MPa and 25% IACS, respectively.