  A combination of high strength and reasonable ductility has been achieved in
a copper-1.7 at.%titanium alloy deformed by high-pressure torsion. Grain
refinement and a spinodal microstructure provided a hardness of 254 +/- 2 HV ,
yield strength of 800 MPa and elongation of 10%. The spinodal structure
persisted during isothermal ageing, further increasing the yield strength to
890MPa while retaining an elongation of 7%. This work demonstrates the
potential for spinodal microstructures to overcome the difficulties in
retaining ductility in ultra-fine grained or nanocrystalline alloys, especially
upon post-deformation heating where strain softening normally results in
brittle behavior.
