Overcoming oxidation and enhancing dispersion of nanoparticles via molten salt: Configurational distribution of TiCnp in pure Mg

• Molten salt dispersants (NaCl-KCl-MgCl 2 ) prevent oxidation and combustion of TiC np and Mg melt, effectively incorporating 3 vol.% TiC np into pure Mg. • High temperatures in molten salt enhance the dispersion of TiC np through increased thermal motion. • The 3 vol.% TiC np increases melt viscosity of Mg, affecting ultrasonic dispersion dynamics and resulting in a unique ring-like annular distribution of TiC np . • The ring-like distribution of TiC np enhances mechanical properties of the TiC np /Mg composites, exhibiting a 50 % increase in compressive strength compared to pure Mg. Nanoparticle-reinforced Mg matrix composites (NPMMCs) capitalize on the synergistic properties of nanoparticles and Mg matrix, resulting in enhanced mechanical attributes compared to matrix. Nonetheless, effective high-temperature dispersion of nanoparticles remains challenging. This study employs a molten salt dispersant (NaCl-KCl-MgCl 2 ) effectively mitigating the oxidation and combustion of TiC nanoparticles (TiC np ). Compared with the atmosphere, the molten salt facilitates the pre-dispersion of TiC np through thermal motion at elevated temperatures, thereby reducing agglomeration between the TiC np . Simultaneously, the molten salt effectively wets and disrupts the oxide layer on the surface of Mg melt, facilitating the wetting of TiC np by the Mg melt. The successful incorporation of 3 vol.% TiC np into the Mg matrix is achieved by utilizing molten salt, and the addition of TiC np increases the viscosity of mg melt. Further dispersed by ultrasonic dispersion, the unique distribution of TiC np within ring-like structures was obtained which was attributed to the increase of viscosity. As a configurational distribution, the ring-like TiC np distribution morphology significantly enhances the mechanical properties of composites, as evidenced by an approximate 50 % increase in compressive strength (UCS).