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Copper-containing intrauterine devices (Cu-IUD) are adopted by worldwide women for contraception with the advantages of long-term effectiveness, reversibility and affordability. However, adverse effects occur in the initial implantation stage of Cu-IUD in uterine because of the burst release of Cu2+. To minimize the burst release, in this study, we designed a series of Cu–Fe alloys with 0.5 wt%, 1 wt% and 5 wt% Fe and also further produced ultrafine grained (UFG) structure for these alloys via equal-channel angular pressing. The microstructures and properties of the coarse grained (CG) Cu, CG Cu–Fe alloys and UFG Cu–Fe alloys were systematically investigated, including grain structure and phase compositions, metallic ions release behavior, electrochemical corrosion performance, and in vitro cytotoxicity. With careful comparison and selection, we chose the CG Cu–5Fe and UFG Cu–5Fe for in vivo tests using rat model, including tissue biocompatibility, in vivo corrosion behavior, and contraceptive effectiveness. Moreover, the corrosion mechanism of the Cu–5Fe alloy and its improved biocompatibility was discussed. Both CG and UFG Cu–5Fe alloys exhibited dramatic suppression of Cu2+ release in simulated uterine fluid for the long-term immersion process. The in vivo tissue compatibility was significantly improved with both CG and UFG Cu–5Fe alloys implanted in the rats' uterine while the high contraceptive efficacy was well maintained. Due to the superior biocompatibility, the CG and UFG Cu–5Fe alloys can be the promising candidate material for Cu-IUD. A highly biocompatible Cu–Fe alloy was designed and fabricated for Cu-containing intrauterine devices (Cu-IUD). With 5 wt% Fe, the burst release of Cu2+ is inhibited due to the formed galvanic cell of Cu and Fe, resulting in earlier release of Fe3+. As Fe is the most abundant essential trace element of human body, it can mitigate the toxic effects of Cu2+, thus significantly improving both in vitro cell compatibility and in vivo tissue compatibility. More importantly, the Cu–5Fe alloy exhibits 100 % contraceptive efficiency as the CG Cu, but with greatly reduced adverse effects to the uterus tissues. An advanced Cu-IUD can be developed using Cu–Fe alloys. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the ferromagnetic properties of Fe, the influence of the external magnetic field on the morphology and chemical composition of electrodeposited Cu-Fe alloys was investigated. The magnetic field present affects the samples when applied in the direction parallel to their surface. However, its influence on the morphology of the coatings is slight. The surface area was analysed using Atomic Force Microscopy and determined based on the measurements of Double-Layer Capacitance. A similar trend for both methods was observed. The sample with the largest active surface area can be deposited in the parallel-to-electrode magnetic field at 250 mT and the least at 500 mT in the same direction. The catalytic properties in Hydrogen Evolution Reaction were measured in 1M NaOH. The relationship between the wettability and catalytic performance is noticeable. The evolution of hydrogen began earliest on the hydrophilic coating. All hydrophobic samples show similar catalytic activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copper-based alloys have garnered significant attention for their potential in antimicrobial applications aimed at mitigating medical-related infections. Nonetheless, the alloying elements in conventional copper alloys frequently exhibit biotoxicity. This study explored the corrosion behavior, antimicrobial activity, and ion release of Cu–Fe alloys with varying iron contents and aging treatment. The results indicate that increasing the iron content in Cu–Fe alloys and applying appropriate aging treatment can enhance both the antibacterial efficiency and corrosion rate. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observations revealed a corrosion mechanism in which dispersed iron phases act as nucleation sites. These nanoscale precipitates increase the Cu/Fe interfacial area, thereby promoting ion release at the interface. Furthermore, in-situ scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed that corrosion products are more likely to detach in iron-rich segregated areas, which effectively promotes the sustained release of copper ions.

To investigate structural changes, the Cu95Fe5 alloy system was subjected to cooling rates of 1 × 1013 K/s, 2 × 1012 K/s, 2 × 1011 K/s, and 2 × 1010 K/s using the molecular dynamics simulation method. The results revealed that decreasing the cooling rate caused an increase in the phase transition temperature. Further, the structure of the alloy system exhibited a tendency towards increased stability following cooling at lower cooling rates. The Fe precipitation behavior of the Cu95Fe5 alloys during cooling at the rate of 2 × 1010 K/s was further explored, with the results suggesting that the formation and growth of the Fe cluster is a continuous process governed by the nucleation and growth mechanism. The size and number of Fe clusters formed at different stages were found to be affected by three factors, namely, the interaction force between the Fe atoms, the diffusion ability of the Fe atoms, and the interfacial energy between the Fe cluster and Cu matrix. When the alloy temperature exceeded 1400 K, the accumulation of the Fe atoms was facilitated by their strong interaction. However, the high temperatures and the large diffusion coefficient of the Fe atoms acted as inhibitors to the growth of Fe clusters, despite the intense thermal activities. As the temperature was reduced from 1400 K to 1050 K, the Fe atoms moved with a reduced intensity in a narrower area, and both the number of Fe atoms in the largest cluster and the number of clusters increased due to the action of the interaction force between the Fe atoms. Upon lowering the temperature from 1050 K to 887 K, the size of the largest Fe cluster increased rapidly, while the number of clusters decreased gradually. The growth of the largest Fe cluster could be partly attributed to the diffusion of single Fe atoms into the cluster under the action of the interaction force between the Fe atoms, in addition to the gathering and combination of multiple clusters. When the temperature was lowered from 967 K to 887 K, the diffusion coefficient of the Fe atoms approached 0, indicating that the non-diffusive local structure rearrangements of atoms dominated in the system structure change process. The interface energy governed the combination of the Fe clusters in this stage. At a temperature below 887 K, the alloy crystallized, the activities of the Fe atoms were reduced due to a low temperature, and the movement range of the Fe atoms was small at a fast cooling rate. As such, both the size and number of Fe clusters showed no obvious changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cu–Fe alloys are expected to be extensively used in electronics, transportation and machinery industries due to the extraordinary mechanical properties and functional properties. To optimize rolling process and the final properties of Cu–Fe plates. The effect of rolling path, rolling temperature and thickness reduction on microstructure evolution, mechanical and electrical properties of Cu–Fe alloy are carefully investigated. The results shown that the thickness reduction has a significant effect on mechanical properties of Cu–Fe alloy. The yield strength of Cu–Fe plates with 20% thickness reduction is more than 2 times higher than that of homogenized ingot. While the yield strength increases gradually as further increasing the thickness reduction. Rolling temperature is an important parameter determining the strength-ductility balance. The strength of plate rolled with 80% thickness reduction at 400 °C is similar to that of the plates in cold-rolled state, and the ductility is higher than that for the plates in the cold-rolled state. Further investigation reveals that the formation of heterogeneous structure characterized with recrystallized-fine grains embedded in deformed-coarse grains is responsible for the observed extraordinary mechanical properties. Rolling path could also affect the microstructure evolution and formability of the plates. For plate rolled with route 1 (unidirectional rolling), a stronger Copper-type texture with two Brass-type textures are observed. For plate rolled with route 2, where the rolled plate is rotated to 90° with respect to previous rolling direction between adjacent rolling passes, only Brass-type texture is generated. A rolling-path dependent edge-crack behavior is observed during rolling. Edge cracks are generated during rolling with route 2, while the edge cracks are not observed for plates rolled with route 1. Factors affecting the edge-cracks behavior are also discussed.

Immiscible Cu-Fe alloys exhibit poor corrosion resistance due to different corrosion potentials between the constituent phases, which limits their application. In this paper, a composite gradient-structured Cu-10 wt.%Fe plate was prepared via the ultrasonic surface rolling process (USRP). The microstructure evolution, mechanical properties and corrosion behavior were studied. The results demonstrate that USRP effectively enhances both the strength and corrosion resistance of the Cu-10Fe alloy. The improved strength is related to the combined effects of Hall–Petch strengthening, dislocation strengthening, and additional strengthening resulting from homogeneous deformation between the surface layer and the matrix. The enhanced corrosion resistance is primarily attributed to the refined microstructure of the surface layer after USRP, which facilitates the formation of a protective passivation film. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cu–Fe alloys have drawn extensive attraction due to excellent multi-functional properties, including electrical, magnetic, and mechanical properties. However, the immiscible nature of Cu–Fe alloys results in heterogeneous microstructure and unexpected mechanical properties. In this study, a small amount of Zr was added to the cast Cu60Fe40 (wt%) alloy to suppress the liquid–liquid phase separation during solidification of the alloy. The microstructure and mechanical properties of the Zr-free and Zr-containing Cu–Fe alloy were investigated. It is found that the addition of Zr successfully inhibits the heterogeneous microstructural evolution caused by liquid–liquid phase separation, while the FeZr-rich precipitates form in the dual-phase microstructure. The FeZr-rich precipitates affect grain growth of the Zr-containing alloy through the Zener pinning effect, leading to extra grain boundary strengthening and precipitation hardening. The resulting microstructure of the Zr-containing alloy substantially enhances the strength of the alloy with a loss of ductility. The fractured surface reveals that microcracks are formed near the precipitates, which is associated with the reduced elongation of the Zr-containing alloy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate structural changes, the Cu95Fe5 alloy system was subjected to cooling rates of 1 × 1013 K/s, 2 × 1012 K/s, 2 × 1011 K/s, and 2 × 1010 K/s using the molecular dynamics simulation method. The results revealed that decreasing the cooling rate caused an increase in the phase transition temperature. Further, the structure of the alloy system exhibited a tendency towards increased stability following cooling at lower cooling rates. The Fe precipitation behavior of the Cu95Fe5 alloys during cooling at the rate of 2 × 1010 K/s was further explored, with the results suggesting that the formation and growth of the Fe cluster is a continuous process governed by the nucleation and growth mechanism. The size and number of Fe clusters formed at different stages were found to be affected by three factors, namely, the interaction force between the Fe atoms, the diffusion ability of the Fe atoms, and the interfacial energy between the Fe cluster and Cu matrix. When the alloy temperature exceeded 1400 K, the accumulation of the Fe atoms was facilitated by their strong interaction. However, the high temperatures and the large diffusion coefficient of the Fe atoms acted as inhibitors to the growth of Fe clusters, despite the intense thermal activities. As the temperature was reduced from 1400 K to 1050 K, the Fe atoms moved with a reduced intensity in a narrower area, and both the number of Fe atoms in the largest cluster and the number of clusters increased due to the action of the interaction force between the Fe atoms. Upon lowering the temperature from 1050 K to 887 K, the size of the largest Fe cluster increased rapidly, while the number of clusters decreased gradually. The growth of the largest Fe cluster could be partly attributed to the diffusion of single Fe atoms into the cluster under the action of the interaction force between the Fe atoms, in addition to the gathering and combination of multiple clusters. When the temperature was lowered from 967 K to 887 K, the diffusion coefficient of the Fe atoms approached 0, indicating that the non-diffusive local structure rearrangements of atoms dominated in the system structure change process. The interface energy governed the combination of the Fe clusters in this stage. At a temperature below 887 K, the alloy crystallized, the activities of the Fe atoms were reduced due to a low temperature, and the movement range of the Fe atoms was small at a fast cooling rate. As such, both the size and number of Fe clusters showed no obvious changes.

Cu‒5%Fe alloys (mass fraction) were prepared by cold isostatic pressing, sintering, and rolling, using the elemental mixed powders, mechanical alloying powders, and water-gas combined atomized alloy powders as the raw materials. The powder morphology, microstructure, mechanical properties, and physical properties of the copper-iron alloys fabricated by the three kinds of raw materials were compared. The results show that, the iron particles are uniformly distributed, and the average size of the iron particles in the sintered body consisted of the powders by element mixing, mechanical alloying, and water-gas combined atomization are 9.4 μm, 1.2 μm, and 3.5 μm, respectively. The alloys with the water-gas combined atomization powders show the best overall performance as the tensile strength of 550 MPa, the electrical conductivity of 59.5% IACS, and the magnetic saturation strength of 9.1 emu·g‒1.

Pure copper has excellent conductivity but low strength, which greatly limits its application in many fields. In recent years, developing high-strength and high-conductivity (HSHC) copper alloys has been gaining increasing traction. Copper-iron (Cu-Fe) alloys hold great application potential in power, electronics, communications, railway transportation and other industries due to their cost-effectiveness and comprehensive plasticity. In this review, we begin with a brief analysis of two primary factors that limit the development of HSHC Cu-Fe alloys. We then summarize the major results on how to enhance the strength, conductivity, and electromagnetic shielding performance of Cu-Fe alloys by improving the forming processes and adjusting the microstructure evolution and highlight the underlying strengthening mechanisms. We close by providing new insights into the application prospect and future research directions of Cu-Fe alloys with both high strength and conductivity. • Forming process of Cu-Fe alloy was comprehensively evaluated, with specific recommendations for enhancing each approach. • Effect and mechanism of the addition of Fe and the tertiary alloy elements were analyzed. • Evolution of microstructure and properties of Cu-Fe alloy during different deformation is summarized. • Strengthening mechanisms of mechanical properties and EC are discussed. • Insightful information on developing high-strength, good-conductivity and diversefunctionality Cu-Fe alloys is provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Immiscible Cu-Fe alloys exhibit poor corrosion resistance due to different corrosion potentials between the constituent phases, which limits their application. In this paper, a composite gradient-structured Cu-10 wt.%Fe plate was prepared via the ultrasonic surface rolling process (USRP). The microstructure evolution, mechanical properties and corrosion behavior were studied. The results demonstrate that USRP effectively enhances both the strength and corrosion resistance of the Cu-10Fe alloy. The improved strength is related to the combined effects of Hall–Petch strengthening, dislocation strengthening, and additional strengthening resulting from homogeneous deformation between the surface layer and the matrix. The enhanced corrosion resistance is primarily attributed to the refined microstructure of the surface layer after USRP, which facilitates the formation of a protective passivation film.

In this study, high strength and conductivity Cu-Fe-Si-Mg alloys were produced by casting and multi-stage thermos-mechanical treatment (MTT). The electrical conductivity, yield strength, tensile strength and elongation of the Cu-2.5Fe-0.1Si-0.15 Mg alloys were 68.23 %IACS, 653 MPa, 692 MPa and 4.35 %, respectively. The addition of Mg was beneficial to reduce the generalized planar fault energy and increase the density of substructure. Meanwhile, there was a tendency for Mg atoms to segregate at the interfacial region where the second phase met the copper. The segregation of Mg effectively inhibited the growth of precipitates. There was a dramatic improvement in the ability of the second phase to pin dislocations. The overall properties of the Cu-Fe alloys were excellent. The synergistic addition of Mg and Si significantly improved the mechanical properties of the alloys, but the electrical conductivity slightly declined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A state of the art, custom-built direct-metal deposition (DMD)-based additive manufacturing (AM) system at the University of Michigan was used to manufacture 50Cu–50Fe alloy with tailored properties for use in high strain/deformation environments. Subsequently, we performed preliminary high-pressure compression experiments to investigate the structural stability and deformation of this material. Our work shows that the alpha (BCC) phase of Fe is stable up to ~16 GPa before reversibly transforming to HCP, which is at least a few GPa higher than pure bulk Fe material. Furthermore, we observed evidence of a transition of Cu nano-precipitates in Fe from the well-known FCC structure to a metastable BCC phase, which has only been predicted via density functional calculations. Finally, the metastable FCC Fe nano-precipitates within the Cu grains show a modulated nano-twinned structure induced by high-pressure deformation. The results from this work demonstrate the opportunity in AM application for tailored functional materials and extreme stress/deformation applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cu-4.44Fe-0.26Cr-0.4Si-0.29Mg (CFCSM) alloy and Cu-4.73Fe-0.3Cr-0.38Si-0.28Mg-0.2Sc-0.24Y (CFCSM-Re) alloy were designed. After a series of thermos-mechanical treatment, the alloy has excellent overall properties. The CFCSM-Re alloy had an electrical conductivity of 65%IACS, a yield strength of 552 MPa, a tensile strength of 634 MPa and an elongation of 8.12%. The mechanical properties and electrical conductivity of the alloy were improved by the joint addition of Sc and Y. In comparison with the CFCSM alloy, the conductivity, yield strength, and tensile strength of CFCSM-Re alloy have increased by 0.8% IACS, 124 MPa and 116 MPa, respectively. In CFCSM-Re alloy, dual-scale (Fe, Cr) 3 Si phase and micron scale Cu(Y, Sc) phase were successfully constructed. CFCSM-Re alloys were strengthened by precipitates, which contributed approximately 50% of total strength. Adding Sc and Y inhibited the alloy's softening during annealing treatment, resulting in the alloy having high conductivity, high strength, and high elongation. The combined addition of Y and Sc atoms tended to be distributed in positions including vacancy, dislocation, grain boundary and phase interface. Rare earth metals atoms inhibited the movement of dislocations, rotation of grain boundaries and coarsening of precipitates thus endowing CFCSM-Re alloys with excellent strength, elongation and conductivity. • The addition of Sc and Y improved the overall properties of Cu-Fe alloy. • The dual-scale multi-phase effect improved the performance of the alloy. • Sc and Y inhibited the movement of dislocations during annealing treatment. • The addition of rare earth metal inhibited the coarsening of precipitates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A state of the art, custom-built direct-metal deposition (DMD)-based additive manufacturing (AM) system at the University of Michigan was used to manufacture 50Cu–50Fe alloy with tailored properties for use in high strain/deformation environments. Subsequently, we performed preliminary high-pressure compression experiments to investigate the structural stability and deformation of this material. Our work shows that the alpha (BCC) phase of Fe is stable up to ~16 GPa before reversibly transforming to HCP, which is at least a few GPa higher than pure bulk Fe material. Furthermore, we observed evidence of a transition of Cu nano-precipitates in Fe from the well-known FCC structure to a metastable BCC phase, which has only been predicted via density functional calculations. Finally, the metastable FCC Fe nano-precipitates within the Cu grains show a modulated nano-twinned structure induced by high-pressure deformation. The results from this work demonstrate the opportunity in AM application for tailored functional materials and extreme stress/deformation applications.

Well‐dispersed carbon‐coated or nitrogen‐doped carbon‐coated copper‐iron alloy nanoparticles (FeCu@C or FeCu@C−N) in carbon‐based supports are obtained using a bimetallic metal‐organic framework (Cu/Fe‐MOF‐74) or a mixture of Cu/Fe‐MOF‐74 and melamine as sacrificial templates and an active‐component precursor by using a pyrolysis method. The investigation results attest formation of Cu−Fe alloy nanoparticles. The obtained FeCu@C catalyst exhibits a catalytic activity with a half‐wave potential of 0.83 V for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in alkaline medium, comparable to that on commercial Pt/C catalyst (0.84 V). The catalytic activity of FeCu@C−N for ORR (Ehalf‐wave=0.87 V) outshines all reported analogues. The excellent performance of FeCu@C−N should be attributed to a change in the energy of the d‐band center of Cu resulting from the formation of the copper–iron alloy, the interaction between alloy nanoparticles and supports and N‐doping in the carbon matrix. Moreover, FeCu@C and FeCu@C−N show better electrochemical stability and methanol tolerance than commercial Pt/C and are expected to be widely used in practical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report on a study of the synthesis and deformation of bulk porous Cu processed via plasma activated sintering (PAS) of Cu-Fe precursor alloys. The process used in our work involved both low temperature (600–900 °C) and low pressure (50 MPa) followed by chemical de-alloying of Cu-Fe in a solution of 5 wt% H 2 SO 4 . Our results show that when this approach is applied to a Cu-75 at.% Fe alloy, de-alloying of the active Fe phase leads to the formation of micron-sized 1–4 μm pores and approximately 73 vol% porosity. Our results show that the microstructure of the porous Cu principally depends on the morphology of the precursor Cu25Fe75. Moreover, studies of the relationship between the microstructure and compressive deformation behavior of porous Cu reveal that the mechanical strength increases with decreasing pore size in the linear elastic and plateau regions, but decreases with decreasing pore size in the densification region. The stress level corresponding to the plateau stage in the range of 16.11–18.11 MPa corresponding to a strain of 30%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copper-iron alloys were produced at room temperature by means of electrodeposition of iron on a copper substrate in an ionic liquid (1-butyl-1-methylpyrrolidinium trifluoromethylsulfonate [Py 1,4 ]TfO). Samples with different electrodeposition times were studied using mechanical spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, light microscopy and magnetic loops techniques. Independent of the electrodeposition time the electrodeposition process leads to the promotion of a thin layer of iron onto the copper surface without iron diffusion into the substrate. The damping spectra for electrosposited samples in the as-electrodeposited state show the characteristic low and intermediate grain boundary damping peaks from copper as well as the solvent grain boundary damping peak from the electrodeposited iron. Thermal annealing at temperatures near 973 K leads to the appearance of Fe particles at the interface between the copper and iron (Cu + α-Fe phase) leading to a new damping peak at around 680 K whose driving force is the diffusion of copper atoms around the second phase particles. • Iron-copper alloys produced by electrodeposition in an ionic liquid at room temperature. • Grain boundaries relaxation for the copper and iron in bi-layered alloys. • Damping peak related to the diffusion of copper atoms around the (alpha-Fe) particles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simultaneous improvement of both the strength and electrical conductivity of Cu–Fe alloys (CFAs) through the conventional casting method is an extremely challenging task. In this study, an attempt was made to overcome this issue via preparing CFAs with ultrafine alloy powders embedded with nano Fe particles. Ultrafine CFA powders with various Fe contents ranging from 5 to 50 wt.% were synthesized by a novel rapid solidification route, namely, gas–water combined atomization (GWA) process. The alloy powders prepared via GWA were then processed by pressureless sintering, hot rolling, annealing, and cold rolling. The microstructure evolution, mechanical properties, and electrical conductivity of CFAs were comprehensively investigated. The average size of Cu grain and Fe particles in all sintered CFAs was smaller than 3 and 2 μm, respectively. The grains of sintered CFAs were obviously refined by the Fe particles, and the addition of Fe inhibited the formation of Cu twins. After rolling, the Fe particles elongated and became fibrous along the rolling direction. The degree of formation of fibrous Fe enhanced with the increase of Fe content. Cold-rolled CFAs with 5–50 wt% Fe exhibited the tensile strength of 560–1250 MPa and conductivity of 33–65% IACS, indicating that CFAs in this study achieved superior mechanical and electrical properties. The microstructure evolution and strengthening mechanisms of CFAs were described. These findings can provide new insights into the powder metallurgy manufacturing of high-performance CFAs. • Ultrafine CFA powders were prepared by gas-water combined atomization. • The average size of Fe particles and grains of sintered CFAs was 2–3 μm. • Cold-rolled CFAs achieved superior mechanical and electrical properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: On the basis of the gravity difference and the temperature dependence of the interfacial energy of the separated phases, the amalgamation of the droplets of minor phase was affected by Stokes sedimentation and Marangoni motion during the liquid-phase separation. Moreover, the velocity of Stokes motion increased distinctly with the undercooling, while the velocity of Marangoni motion was slightly impacted. At the beginning of the liquid-phase separation, the droplets of minor phase were dominated by Marangoni motion when the droplets radius was small. As the droplets radius increased by combination, the effect of Stokes sedimentation strengthened gradually. Additionally, the coagulation process was mainly controlled by Stokes sedimentation when a critical radius r d was far exceeded. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Cu25Fe75 and Cu50Fe50 (nominal composition, at. %) alloys were fabricated using laser direct metal deposition (DMD) based additive manufacturing technique. These alloys exhibit hierarchical microstructures with bi-phasic Cu and Fe dendrites that contain nanoscale precipitates of varying sizes and structures. In the Cu25Fe75 alloy, Fe dendrites contained nanoscale, coherent, metastable BCC Cu and semi-coherent FCC Cu precipitates while the Cu matrix had nanoscale, coherent, metastable FCC Fe precipitates. In the Cu50Fe50 alloy, Fe dendrites only contained nanoscale semi-coherent FCC Cu precipitates while the Cu matrix had nanoscale coherent metastable FCC Fe precipitates. Both alloys exhibited enhanced flow strengths in the range of 750–980 MPa and significant plasticity, in compression. The Cu25Fe75 alloy had lower yield strength than Cu50Fe50 alloy but higher maximum compressive strength due to higher strain hardening resulting from slightly coarser dendrites with hierarchy of nanoscale precipitation. • Laser direct-metal-deposition based additive manufacturing is used to make Cu–Fe alloys. • Alloys show formation of hierarchical microstructure in Cu matrix and Fe dendrites. • Metastable BCC and FCC Cu precipitates are present in Fe dendrites. • Only coherent metastable FCC Fe precipitates are visible in Cu matrix. • Alloy with more Cu content shows grain refinement and higher yield strength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]