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The TiN-Al composite coatings on A356 alloy were successfully synthesized by mechanical alloying (MA) of Al, TiN and C powders under argon atmosphere. Meanwhile, the optimal parameters for mechanical milling processing were determined by changing the material ratio (Al: TiN: C), milling time and the ball-to-powder weight ratio, which might have a significant improvement on the wear resistance of A356 alloys. The microstructures and mechanical properties of A356 alloy samples with TiN-Al composite coatings were characterized by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM) equipped with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and Brinell hardness test. It was found that under the optimal conditions, i.e. the material ratio of (Al: TiN: C= 17.5:1.5:1), the ball-to-powder weight ratio of 14:1 and the milling duration of 12 h, the Brinell hardness of sample-6 could be remarkably increased to 143.80 HBW. With the TiN-Al coatings fabricated by MA process, the mechanical properties of aluminum alloys could be significantly improved.

The influence of Nd addition on the glass-forming ability (GFA), microhardness, and corrosion resistance of Mg60−x Cu40Nd x (x = 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25, at%) alloys were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry, Vickers-type hardness tests, and electrochemical methods. The results suggest that the GFA and microhardness of the amorphous alloys increase until the Nd content reaches 20at%. The corrosion potential and corrosion current density obtained from the Tafel curves indicate that the Mg35Cu40Nd25 ternary alloy exhibits the best corrosion resistance among the investigated alloys. Notably, nanoporous copper (NPC) was synthesized through a single-step dealloying of Mg60−x Cu40Nd x (x = 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25) ternary alloys in 0.04 mol·L−1 H2SO4 solution under free corrosion conditions. The influence of dealloying process parameters, such as dealloying time and temperature, on the microstructure of the ribbons was also studied using the surface diffusivity theory. The formation mechanism of dealloyed samples with a multilayered structure was also discussed.