The room-temperature plasticity of magnesium and its alloys is limited primarily by their hexagonal close-packed (HCP) crystal structure, which restricts the number of active slip systems available at room temperature. This limitation hinders their broader application in various industries. Consequently, enhancing the room-temperature plasticity of magnesium alloys is essential for expanding their usage. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the underlying mechanisms and strategies for enhancing room-temperature plasticity in magnesium alloys. The first section emphasizes the importance of improving plasticity in these materials. The second section uses bibliometric analysis to identify key research trends and emerging hotspots in the field. The third section explores the deformation mechanisms and factors that influence room-temperature plasticity. The fourth section discusses various methods for enhancing plasticity. The fifth section focuses on achieving a balance between strength and plasticity. Finally, the review concludes with insights into future prospects and challenges, offering guidance for the development of high-plasticity magnesium alloys and serving as a resource for both research and industrial applications.

Magnesium materials have attracted the attention of many researchers, and the related research is expanding. This article summarizes the advance in the research and development of magnesium materials globally in 2023 from bibliometric and scientific perspectives. More than 4680 articles on Mg and its alloys were published and indexed in the Web of Science (WoS) Core Collection database last year. The bibliometric analyses show that the traditional structural Mg alloys, functional Mg materials, and corrosion and protection of Mg alloys are still the main research focus. Therefore, this review paper mainly focuses on the research progress of Mg cast alloys, Mg wrought alloys, bio-magnesium alloys, Mg-based energy storage materials, corrosion and protection of Mg alloys in 2023. In addition, future research directions are proposed based on the challenges and obstacles identified throughout this review.

More than 4600 papers in the field of Mg and Mg alloys were published and indexed in the Web of Science (WoS) Core Collection database in 2022. The bibliometric analyses indicate that the microstructure, mechanical properties, and corrosion of Mg alloys are still the main research focus. Bio-Mg materials, Mg ion batteries and hydrogen storage Mg materials have attracted much attention. Notable contributions to the research and development of magnesium alloys were made by Chongqing University (>200 papers), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and Northeastern University (>100 papers) in China, Helmholtz Zentrum Hereon in Germany, Ohio State University in the USA, the University of Queensland in Australia, Kumanto University in Japan, and Seoul National University in Korea, University of Tehran in Iran, and National University of Singapore in Singapore, etc. This review is aimed to summarize the progress in the development of structural and functional Mg and Mg alloys in 2022. Based on the issues and challenges identified here, some future research directions are suggested.

High purity magnesium is not only an important basic raw material for semiconductor and electronics industries, but also a promising new generation of electrochemical energy storage materials and biomedical materials. Impurities in high-purity magnesium affect material properties, which has become the most critical factor restricting its application. However, accurate analysis of multiple ultra-trace impurity elements in high-purity magnesium is extremely challenging. In this paper, based on the synergistic effect of N₂O/H₂ reaction gas mixture to eliminate spectral interference of inductively coupled plasma tandem mass spectrometry (ICP-MS/MS), a new strategy for the quantification of 45 ultra-trace impurity elements in high-purity magnesium was proposed. The results indicated that the limits of detection (LOD) were in the range of 0.02–18.5 ng L⁻¹; the LODs of the challenging non-metallic elements Si and S were 18.5 and 12.2 ng L⁻¹, respectively; and the LODs of all the other analytes were less than 10 ng L⁻¹. Even under hot plasma conditions, LODs of alkali metal elements were also less than 5 ng L⁻¹. The spike recovery of each analyte was 93.6%–107%, and the relative standard deviation (RSD) was 3.2%–6.9%, respectively. At a 95% level of confidence, no significant differences were found between the results obtained under the optimal conditions for the analyte with the developed method and the measurement results of SF-ICP-MS. The developed method indicated low LOD, high sample throughput, and complete interference elimination, demonstrating a new avenue for the rapid determination of ultra-trace elements in high-purity magnesium.

Currently, many gratifying signs of progress have been made in magnesium (Mg) matrix composites (MMCs) by virtue of their high mechanical properties both at room and elevated temperatures. Although the commonly used reinforcements in MMCs are ceramic particles, they often provide improved yield and ultimate stresses by a significant loss in ductility. Therefore, hard metallic phases were introduced as alternative candidates for the manufacturing of MMCs, especially titanium (Ti). It has a high melting point, high Young’s modulus, high plasticity, low level of mutual solubility with Mg matrix, and closer thermal expansion coefficient to that of Mg metal than that of ceramic particles. It is highly preferable to provide both high ultimate stress and ductility in Mg matrix. However, many critical challenges for the fabrication of Ti-reinforced MMCs remain, such as Ti’s homogeneity, low recovery rate, and the optimization of interfacial bonding strength between Mg and Ti, etc. Meanwhile, different fabrication methods have various effects on the microstructures, mechanical properties, and the interfacial strength of Ti-reinforced MMCs. Hence, this review placed emphasis on the microstructural characteristics and mechanical properties of Ti-reinforced MMCs fabricated by different techniques. The influencing factors that govern the strengthening mechanisms were systematically compared and discussed. Future research trends, key issues, and prospects were also proposed to develop Ti-reinforced MMCs.