Gadolinium (Gd) is one of the most effective strengthening elements for magnesium alloys. The development of commercially available Mg-Gd alloys with high Gd content and the optimization of their preparation processes have been a major focus in magnesium alloy research.In this study, a Mg-23Gd-2Zn-0.4Zr alloy with ultra-high Gd content is designed, and high-quality fabrication is achieved using laser-directed energy deposition (LDED) technology. Through heat treatment and microstructure control, a balance between tensile strength (425 MPa) and elongation (3.4%) is achieved. The ultra-high strength of the LDED-T6 VZ232K alloy is primarily attributed to precipitation strengthening caused by the ultra-high density (2.4 × 104 μm-2) of β’phase. The high ductility is mainly due to the modification of the fracture mode,facilitated by the introduction of a substantial number of stacking fault structures during solution heat treatment. The extended hardness plateau (exceeding 138 Hv) and high yield strength (exceeding 300 MPa) are associated with the three-directional cross-interlocked structure of the β’phase in the over-aged state at 220 °C and 250 °C. The analysis of the LDED-VZ232K alloy indicates that reduced heat input during the additive manufacturing (AM) process is critical for the defect-free fabrication of alloys with ultra-high Gd content.

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