Multi-wall carbon nanotubes reinforced aluminum composites synthesized by hot press sintering and squeeze casting
(1.黑龙江省哈尔滨市哈尔滨工业大学材料科学与工程学院
2.School of Materials Science and Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001, China)
2.School of Materials Science and Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001, China)
Abstract: Multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) have high mechanical properties and are considered a kind of realistic reinforcement for polymers, ceramics and metals. The hot press sintering and squeeze casting were adopted to synthesize MWNTs reinforced aluminum composites. In hot press sintered MWNTs/Al composites, MWNTs agglomerates distribute along aluminum powders and have low bonding strength with aluminum. But MWNTs agglomerates distribute evenly in the squeeze cast MWNTs/Al composites. Some dispersed nanotubes bond well with aluminum matrix and few dislocations can be found in the nanotube areas, which implies little thermal residual stress in squeeze cast MWNTs/Al composites. This indicates that the strengthen mechanisms in nanometer sized MWNTs/Al composites may be different from that in micrometer sized whisker composites.
Key words: metal matrix composites (MMCs); carbon nanotubes (CNTs); mechanical properties; aluminum alloy; microstructure