The strength of Mg–Li alloy is greatly improved by the composite strengthening of intermetallic compound YAl₂ particles, but the low corrosion resistance of Mg–Li alloy is still the main factor that restricts the application of the alloy and its composites. In this paper, the effect of YAl₂ particles on the corrosion behavior of Mg–Li alloy was systematically investigated. The results showed that the corrosion resistance of YAl_2p/LA143 composite could be significantly improved, accounting for the formation of a transitional interface layer by adding YAl₂ particles. The diffusion of yttrium and aluminum atoms from YAl₂ particulates improved the stability of the surface film and enhanced the adhesion between the corrosion products and the substrate, which hindered further expansion of pitting.

High strength ceramic proppants are a significant factor during the hydraulic fracturing process. Although many system ceramic proppants have been developed, their strength remained relatively low. In this work high strength ceramic proppants have been successfully prepared by solid state sintering at 1450°C using low grade bauxite and varying contents of feldspar; XRD analysis revealed that the prepared ceramic proppants mainly consisted of corundum and mullite phases. The effects of feldspar content on the microstructure and properties of ceramic proppants have been investigated. With the increase in feldspar content, the bulk density and apparent density slightly declined and then remained steady, while the breakage ratio initially decreased and then increased and achieved the lowest value (9.8%) for 4 wt% feldspar under 80 MPa closed pressure, which satisfied the requirement of Chinese Petroleum and Gas Industry standard (SY/T5108-2014). The study can provide guidance for design of high strength ceramic proppants to employ in low closed pressure oil and gas wells.