Nucleation Barrier for the Precipitation in Nanosized Al-4wt%Cu Alloy

The possibility of Al2Cu( q) precipitation in nanosized Al-4wt%Cu alloy is predicted based on the theory of homogeneous nucleation. The result indicates that the initial concentration of Cu in parent phase has little influence on the nucleation event when the grain size is larger than a critical size. On the other hand, when the grain size is smaller than the critical size, the formation of a stable Al2Cu nucleus will be prohibited completely due to the insufficient initial concentration of Cu.