Light iron and hard magnesium nanocomposites

The focus of this work is on creating bulk nanocomposite materials by combining iron and magnesium. The procedure requires the synthesis of Mg2FeH6 hydride by ball milling followed by the desorption of hydrogen assisted by spark plasma sintering. The nanostructured hybrids of iron and magnesium thus obtained exhibit superior specific properties and fill holes in the materials properties space for light alloys. The idea that is outlined opens up new opportunities toward the synthesis of intimate mixture at the nanoscale of elements exhibiting repulsive interactions.