Current investigations into neutrinoless double beta decay and the direct detection of dark matter require increasingly sensitive detector systems that demand ultra-low background materials. These requirements have previously been attained using ultra-radiopure electroformed (EF) copper. However, pure copper possesses high ductility and relatively low strength, which necessitates the need for large amounts of material and extra care during fabrication to help minimize galling and mechanical failure. We investigate an alloying alternative to pure EF copper by examining low wt% copper chrome (Cu-Cr) (Cu–Cr) solid solution alloys, with inquiries into alloy hardness, strength, and radiopurity. Alloyed Cu-Cr Cu–Cr layered samples are shown to exhibit significantly increased hardness compared to EF copper, for example showing a 50% increase in exhibited hardness using less than 1% Cr by weight, with limited negative impact to the material’s radiopurity.

当前对无中微子双β衰变和暗物质直接检测的研究需要越来越灵敏的检测器系统，该系统需要超低背景材料。以前已经使用超辐射纯电铸（EF）铜达到了这些要求。但是，纯铜具有较高的延展性和相对较低的强度，因此需要大量的材料并在制造过程中加倍小心，以帮助最大程度地减少磨损和机械故障。我们通过检查低重量百分比的铜铬（Cu-Cr）（Cu-Cr）固溶合金来研究纯EF铜的合金替代品，并询问合金的硬度，强度和放射纯度。与EF铜相比，Cu-Cr合金Cu-Cr层状样品显示出显着提高的硬度，