Cu-Ti alloys are considered promising alternatives to Cu-Be alloys owing to their high strength, good workability, resource abundance and low cost. However, a trade-off between strength and electrical conductivity remains a major challenge, and conventional aging treatments often fail to achieve a balanced enhancement of both mechanical properties and electrical conductivity. A hot-forged Cu-3.06 wt.% Ti alloy was studied through three designed thermomechanical

processing routes. Microhardness, tensile strength, and electrical conductivity were evaluated, along with microstructural characterization via OM, TEM, and XRD, to investigate the effects of various thermomechanical treatment conditions on the microstructure and properties of the Cu-3.06 wt.% Ti alloy. Under conventional processing route I (solution treatment + cold rolling with an 86.4% reduction + aging at 450 ℃ for 40 min), the alloy reaches a peak hardness of 327.9 HV, tensile strength of 1 110.7 MPa, and electrical conductivity of 10.55% IACS, although the precipitate size distribution is inhomogeneous. With the introduction of a two-step aging strategy, significant improvements are observed. Processing route II (solution treatment + 20% predeformation+peak-aged preaging treatment + cold rolling with an 83% reduction + aging at 400 ℃ )results in a peak hardness of 367.6 HV, tensile strength of 1 293.2 MPa, and electrical conductivity of 12.87% IACS. Processing route III (solution treatment + 20% predeformation + undereaged preaging treatment + cold rolling with an 83% reduction + aging at 450 ℃ )further enhances the hardness and tensile strength to 376 HV and 1 341.1 MPa, respectively, although the electrical conductivity slightly decreases to 9.20%IACS. The nanoscale metastable β′-Cu4Ti phase formed during preaging, in combination with the high dislocation density induced by cold deformation, contributed to the refinement and uniform dispersion of precipitates during the final aging process. This synergistic effect effectively enhances both the strength and electrical conductivity, offering a viable pathway for the comprehensive performance optimization of Cu-Ti alloys.