Imperial researchers win international award for advances in lightweight magnesium materials

Researchers from Imperial College London have won an international award for research that could help make future aircraft, cars and spacecraft lighter and more energy efficient.

The team, from Imperial’s Departments of Aeronautics, Chemistry and Materials, received the LMD Magnesium Technology Best Paper Award for Fundamental Research from The Minerals, Metals and Materials Society (TMS). The award recognises outstanding fundamental research in magnesium technology presented through the TMS Magnesium Technology symposium.

The award-winning research focuses on lightweight magnesium composites reinforced with tiny silicon carbide (SiC) structures known as nanowhiskers. Magnesium is much lighter than commonly used metals such as aluminium and steel, making it attractive for industries where reducing weight can cut fuel use and emissions.

Although similar magnesium materials have been studied before, scientists have not fully understood what happens where the metal meets the reinforcing SiC nanowhiskers during manufacturing. This boundary, known as the interface, is crucial because what happens there can strongly affect the material’s internal structure and ultimately its mechanical performance.

Using advanced imaging and microscopy techniques, the Imperial-led team studied the materials across multiple length scales and in both two- and three -dimensions. Their work included powerful synchrotron-based methods that allow scientists to see inside materials at very small scales in 3D.

The researchers identified previously overlooked chemical reactions taking place at the interface between the magnesium alloy and the SiC nanowhiskers. In particular, they found a complex compound known as a ternary carbide forming at this boundary. This finding provides new insight into what happens during processing and how certain reactions influence the material internal structure.

This improved understanding is important because it shows how carefully controlling these reactions can lead to better materials. The study demonstrates that managing the interface can help distribute the reinforcing SiC nanowhiskers more evenly and refine the internal structure of the magnesium.

This award reflects the collaborative nature of our research and our shared aim of understanding how design at the nanoscale can improve the performance of structural materials. Dr Qianquian Li Associate Professor in Lightweight Materials and Composites

Dr Qianqian Li, Associate Professor in Lightweight Materials and Composites at Imperial, said: “It is a great privilege to be recognised by TMS for our work on nano-reinforced lightweight magnesium composites. This award reflects the collaborative nature of our research and our shared aim of understanding how design at the nanoscale can improve the performance of structural materials. I am very grateful to TMS for supporting a community that drives materials innovation.”

The research was carried out through an international collaboration led by Imperial researchers Qianqian Li, Milo Shaffer, Christopher Gourlay, Zhuocheng Xu and Xinyi Hao. They worked with colleagues at the Technical University of Darmstadt and Karlsruhe Institute of Technology in Germany, and the Paul Scherrer Institute in Switzerland. The project highlights the importance of combining expertise across disciplines and borders to tackle complex scientific challenges.

Professor Milo Shaffer, Professor of Materials Chemistry at Imperial, said: “It was a wonderful surprise to receive this award. It reflects the team’s collective effort to use advanced analysis techniques to better understand these complex materials.”

The award-winning conference presentation was based on a peer-reviewed paper published in Materials Characterization. The study shows how relatively simple and scalable manufacturing methods, such as stirring reinforcements into molten metal, can be combined with advanced techniques to better understand how these materials form and develop. The findings could help support the future industrial production of high-performance, SiC reinforced magnesium composites.

By revealing what happens at the smallest scales inside these materials, the research provides new ways that could help guide the design and manufacture of high-performance lightweight metal composites. These advances could play a role in future developments in aerospace, space exploration and low-emission transport.