Guinier-preston zone, quasicrystal and long-period stacking ordered structure in Mg-based alloys, a review

Both the solid solution and precipitation are mainly strengthening mechanism for the magnesium-based alloys. A great number of alloying elements can be dissolved into the Mg matrix to form the solutes and precipitates. Moreover, the type of precipitates varies with different alloying elements and heat treatments, which makes it quite difficult to understand the formation mechanism of the precipitates in Mg-based alloys in depth. Thus, it is very hard to give a systematical regularity in precipitation process for the Mg-based alloys. This review is mainly focused on the formation and microstructural evolution of the precipitates, as a hot topic for the past few years, including Guinier-Preston Zones, quasicrystals and long-period stacking ordered phases formed in a number of Mg-TM-RE alloy systems, where TM = Al, Zn, Zr and RE = Y, Gd, Hd, Ce and La.