In this research, a high ductility Mg-Gd-Mn magnesium alloy was designed and developed, with an elongation capability surpassing 50%. To gain insights into the underlying mechanism behind the high ductility of the Mg-2Gd-0.5Mn alloy, quasi-in-situ electron backscattered diffraction and two-beam diffraction were conducted. The results reveal that the Mg-Gd-Mn alloy exhibits a distinct rare-earth texture, and the activation of non-basal slip systems is evident from the clear observation of non-basal slip traces during the later stages of deformation. However, the primary deformation mechanisms in Mg-Gd-Mn alloy remain basal <a> slip and {10–12} tensile twinning, and the remarkable ductility observed in Mg-Gd-Mn alloys can be attributed to the softening of non-basal slip modes, which leads to a coordinated deformation between various modes of deformation. To further validate this conclusion, an analysis was conducted using a visco-plastic self-consistent (VPSC) model to investigate the relative activity of basal and non-basal slip in Mg-Gd-Mn alloys. The obtained results align well with experimental observations, providing additional support for the hypothesis.

Rechargeable magnesium batteries (RMBs), as one of the most promising candidates for efficient energy storage devices with high energy, power density and high safety, have attracted increasing attention. However, searching for suitable cathode materials with fast diffusion kinetics and exploring their magnesium storage mechanisms remains a great challenge. CuS submicron spheres, made by a facile low-temperature synthesis strategy, were applied as the high-performance cathode for RMBs in this work, which can deliver a high specific capacity of 396 mAh g⁻¹ at 20 mA g⁻¹ and a remarkable rate capacity of 250 mAh g⁻¹ at 1000 mA g⁻¹. The excellent rate performance can be assigned to the nano needle-like particles on the surface of CuS submicron spheres, which can facilitate the diffusion kinetics of Mg²⁺. Further storage mechanism investigations illustrate that the CuS cathodes experience a two-step conversion reaction controlled by diffusion during the electrochemical reaction process. This work could make a contribution to the study of the enhancement of diffusion kinetics of Mg²⁺ and the reaction mechanism of RMBs.