LPSO/Mg two-phase Mg-Gd-Ni alloys with up to ∼40 vol.% LPSO phase were obtained.
LPSO phase volume fraction was directly proportional to Ni content.
LPSO phase could hardly dissolve into the Mg matrix at 500 °C for 100 h.
Structure of LPSO phase transformed from 18R to 14H upon heat treatment at 500 °C.
Nearly zero solid solubility of Ni in Mg plays key roles in LPSO phase formation.