Cu-Ni composite nanoparticles were successfully synthesized by electrical explosion of wire (EEW) method. Cu-Ni alloy and twisted wires with various Ni contents were used as the feeding material for a 3 kV charging voltage EEW machine in an ethanol ambient chamber. The phase structure and magnetic properties of the as-fabricated samples were studied. It was established that the prepared powders after drying have a spherical form with the particle size is under 100 nm. XRD analysis indicated that the nanopowders consisted of binary Cu-Ni phases. Only pure phases of the intermetallic compound Cu-Ni (Cu0.81Ni0.19 and Cu3.8Ni) were observed in the XRD patterns of the samples. The synthesized intermetallic Cu-Ni alloy nanopowders reveal magnetic behaviors, however, the lower Ni content samples exhibited paramagnetic behaviors, meanwhile, the higher Ni content samples exposed ferromagnetic properties.

The paper presents stress-strain characteristics recorded during the four-step compression of axisymmetric samples in the Gleeble thermomechanical simulator. The hot deformability of three steels with Mn concentrations of 3%, 4% and 5% was compared. The analysis of the influence of plastic deformation and Mn content on the microstructure of alloys, and in particular, on a fraction and morphological features of the retained austenite, was performed. The proportion of the retained austenite was determined by the X-ray diffraction method. It was found that the content of Mn in the range from 3% to 5% does not have a significant impact on the high-temperature resistance of the steel during compression tests, but it has a significant influence on the microstructure of the steel and the fraction of retained austenite. The optimal conditions for maximizing the proportion of retained austenite were obtained at the temperature of 400 °C, and it decreased with increasing Mn concentration in the steel. It has been shown that it is related to the redistribution of carbon from the remaining austenite fraction with an increase in the manganese content. The mechanical properties were determined on the basis of hardness measurements.