“…Sintering aluminum (Al) and alloys is usually difficult because of several challenges, including poor flowability, high thermal diffusivity, surface oxidation layer, etc. − Specifically, an oxide layer spontaneously formed on an Al surface, which is typically a few nanometers thick, ,− can prevent fusion of Al powder particles during a typical sintering practice such as pressureless sintering. Various methods have been used to promote sintering of Al alloys, including the introduction of reducing agents (e.g., H 2 ), spark plasma sintering, and microwave sintering. − Nevertheless, improving the sinterability of the feedstock powders is essential for the successful fabrication of sintered Al components. Powders with better sintering behavior will also benefit various powder-based additive manufacturing processes of Al alloys such as binder jetting, direct paste printing, and selective laser melting/sintering.…”