Fabrication of superaligned carbon nanotubes reinforced copper matrix laminar composite by electrodeposition

A new kind of laminar metal matrix nanocomposite（MMC） was fabricated by an electrodeposition process with copper and superaligned carbon nanotubes film（SACNT film）.The SACNT film was put on a titanium plate and then a layer of copper was electrodeposited on it.By repeating the above process,the laminar Cu/SACNT composite which contains dozens or hundreds of layers of copper and SACNT films was obtained.The thickness of a single copper layer was controlled by adjusting the process parameter easily and the thinnest layer is less than 2 μm.The microscopic observation shows that the directional alignment structure of SACNT is retained in the composite perfectly.The mechanical and electrical properties testing results show that the tensile and yield strengths of composites are improved obviously compared with those of pure copper,and the high conductivity is retained.This technology is a potential method to make applicable MMC which characterizes high volume fraction and directional alignment of carbon nanotubes.

In-situ homogeneous synthesis of carbon nanotubes on aluminum matrix and properties of their composites

Using nickel catalyst supported on aluminum powders, carbon nanotubes （CNTs） were successfully synthesized in aluminum powders by in-situ chemical vapor deposition at 650 ℃. Structural characterization revealed that the as-grown CNTs possessed higher graphitization degree and straight graphite shell. By this approach, more homogeneous dispersion of CNTs in aluminum powders was achieved compared with the traditional mechanical mixture methods. Using the in-situ synthesized CNTs/Al composite powders and powder metallurgy process, CNTs/Al bulk composites were prepared. Performance testing showed that the mechanical properties and dimensional stability of the composites were improved obviously, which was attributed to the superior dispersion of CNTs in aluminum matrix and the strong interfacial bonding between CNTs and matrix.

Fabrication,microstructures,and properties of copper matrix composites reinforced by molybdenum-coated carbon nanotubes

Multiwalled carbon nanotubes （CNTs） were coated by a molybdenum layer using carbonyl thermal decomposition process with a precursor of molybdenum hexacarbonyl. The Mo-coated CNTs （Mo-CNTs） were added into copper powders to fabricate Mo-CNT/Cu composites by means of mechanical milling followed by spark plasma sintering. The Mo-CNTs were uniform dispersion in the Cu matrix when their contents were 2.5 vo1.%-7.5 vol.%, while some Mo-CNT clusters were clearly observed at additions of 10.0 vo1.%-15.0 vol.% Mo-CNTs in the mixture. The mechanical, electrical, and thermal properties of the Mo-CNT/Cu composites were characterized, and the results showed that the tensile strength and hardness were 2.0 and 2.2 times higher than those of CNT-free specimens, respectively. Moreover, the Mo-CNT/Cu composites exhibited an enhanced thermal conductivity but inferior electrical conductivity compared with sintered pure Cu. The uncoated CNT/Cu composites were fabricated by the similar processes, and the measured tensile strength, hardness, thermal conductivity, and electrical conductivity of the CNT/Cu composites were lower than those of the Mo-CNT/Cu composites.

On the liquid-phase technology of carbon fiber/aluminum matrix composites

The main problems with the liquid-phase technology of carbon fiber/aluminum matrix composites include poor wetting of the fiber with liquid aluminum and formation of aluminum carbide on the fibers’surface.This paper aims to solve these problems.The theoretical and experimental dependence of porosity on the applied pressure were determined.The possibility of obtaining a carbon fiber/aluminum matrix composite wire with a strength value of about 1500 MPa was shown.The correlation among the strength of the carbon fiber reinforced aluminum matrix composite,the fracture surface,and the degradation of the carbon fiber surface was discussed.

Fabrication and thermal conductivity of copper matrix composites reinforced by tungsten-coated carbon nanotubes

Carbon nanotubes （CNTs） were coated by tungsten using metal organic chemical vapor deposition. Magnetic stirring was employed to disperse the W-coated CNTs （W-CNTs） in a Cu matrix, and then, the mixed powders were consolidated by spark plasma sintering. The W-CNTs obtained a uniform dispersion within the Cu matrix when the W-CNT content was less than 5.0vo1%, but high content of W-CNTs （10vol%） resulted in the presence of clusters. The W-CNT/Cu composites containing low content of W-CNTs （〈5.0vol%） exhibited a higher thermal conductivity than the sintered pure Cu, while the CNT/Cu composites exhibited no increase in thermal conductivity after the incorporation of uncoated CNTs. The W-CNT content was found to play a crucial role in determining the thermal conductivity of the W-CNT/Cu composites. The thermal conductivity of the W-CNT/Cu composites increased first and then decreased with the W-CNT content increasing. When the W-CNT content was 2.5vo1%, the W-CNT/Cu composite obtained the maximum value of thermal conductivity. The thermal resistance of the （W-CNT）-Cu interface was predicted in terms of Maxwell-Gamett effective medium approximation, and its calculated value was about 3.0× 10-9 m2.K.W-l.

Improved wettability and mechanical properties of metal coated carbon fiber-reinforced aluminum matrix composites by squeeze melt infiltration technique

In order to improve the wettability and bonding performance of the interface between carbon fiber and aluminum matrix,nickel-and copper-coated carbon fiber-reinforced aluminum matrix composites were fabricated by the squeeze melt infiltration technique.The interface wettability,microstructure and mechanical properties of the composites were compared and investigated.Compared with the uncoated fiber-reinforced aluminum matrix composite,the microstructure analysis indicated that the coatings significantly improved the wettability and effectively inhibited the interface reaction between carbon fiber and aluminum matrix during the process.Under the same processing condition,aluminum melt was easy to infiltrate into the copper-coated fiber bundles.Furthermore,the inhibited interface reaction was more conducive to maintain the original strength of fiber and improve the fiber−matrix interface bonding performance.The mechanical properties were evaluated by uniaxial tensile test.The yield strength,ultimate tensile strength and elastic modulus of the copper-coated carbon fiber-reinforced aluminum matrix composite were about 124 MPa,140 MPa and 82 GPa,respectively.In the case of nickel-coated carbon fiber-reinforced aluminum matrix composite,the yield strength,ultimate tensile strength and elastic modulus were about 60 MPa,70 MPa and 79 GPa,respectively.The excellent mechanical properties for copper-coated fiber-reinforced composites are attributed to better compactness of the matrix and better fiber−matrix interface bonding,which favor the load transfer ability from aluminam matrix to carbon fiber under the loading state,giving full play to the bearing role of carbon fiber.

Aluminum matrix composites reinforced by molybdenum-coated carbon nanotubes

To extend the application of carbon nanotubes （CNTs） and explore novel aluminum matrix composites,CNTs were coated by molybdenum layers using metal organic chemical vapor deposition,and then Mo-coated CNT （Mo-CNT）/Al composites were prepared by the combination processes of powder mixing and spark plasma sintering.The influences of powder mixing and Mo-CNT content on the mechanical properties and electrical conductivity of the composites were investigated.The results show that magnetic stirring is better than mechanical milling for mixing the Mo-CNTs and Al powders.The electrical conductivity of the composites decreases with increasing Mo-CNT content.When the Mo-CNT content is 0.5wt%,the tensile strength and hardness of Mo-CNT/Al reach their maximum values.The tensile strength of 0.5wt% Mo-CNT/Al increases by 29.9%,while the electrical conductivity only decreases by 7.1%,relative to sintered pure Al.The phase analysis of Mo-CNT/Al composites reveals that there is no formation of Al carbide in the composites.

MG63 Osteoblast-like Cells Growth Behaviour on Carbon/Carbon Composites with Different Carbon Matrixes

During the process that implant materials are used for bone replacement,the cell responses to implant materials determine the long-term stability of bone replacement.The microstructure of implant materials is considered as a critical factor that influences the cell responses.Carbon/Carbon composites（C/C composites） are novel implant materials,but there are few reports on the effect of their microstructure,especially the carbon matrixes and holes,on cell behavior.In this paper,C/C composites with different carbon matrixes are prepared by chemical vapor infiltration and pressure impregnation carbonization technique,respectively.The structure of holes is analyzed.The cell responses to C/C composites with different carbon matrixes are evaluated with MG63 osteoblast-like cells.The morphologies of MG63 osteoblast-like cells on the surface of C/C composites,especially in the holes are assessed by scanning electron microscope,and cell proliferation behavior is evaluated by 3-[4,5-dimethylthiozol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide（MTT） assay. The results show that MG63 osteoblast-like cells have a lamellar morphology with similar sizes and spreading areas as well as the same proliferation behaviors for C/C composites with different carbon matrixes.Carbon matrix shows unapparent influence on the cell growth behavior.Besides,MG63 osteoblast-like cells have various interactions with the holes of C/C composites.The cells stride over the holes with 6～8μm in size,and connect with each other or grow along the curvature wall of the holes with a size of 30-40μm;the cells present three-dimensional morphologies inside the holes and display circular shapes along the ridge of the holes.Diverse cell-material interactions are found according to the size and position of the holes,which provides theoretical foundation for the microstructure design of clinical C/C composites.

Synergistic regulation of current-carrying wear performance of resin matrix carbon brush composites with tungsten copper composite powder

Resin matrix carbon brush composites(RMCBCs)are critical materials for high-powered electric tools.However,effectively improving their wear resistance and heat dissipation remains a challenge.RMCBCs prepared with flake graphite powders that were evenly loaded with tungsten copper composite powder(RMCBCs-W@Cu)exhibited a low wear rate of 1.63 mm^(3)/h,exhibiting 48.6%reduction in the wear rate relative to RCMBCs without additives(RMCBCs-0).In addition,RMCBCs-W@Cu achieved a low friction coefficient of 0.243 and low electric spark grade.These findings indicate that tungsten copper composite powders provide particle reinforcement and generate a gradation effect for the epoxy resin(i.e.,connecting phase)in RMCBCs,which weakens the wear of RMCBCs caused by fatigue under a cyclic current-carrying wear.

Preparation of super-aligned carbon nanotube-reinforced nickel-matrix laminar composites with excellent mechanical properties

A homogeneous and compact super-aligned carbon nanotube(SACNT)-reinforced nickel-matrix composite was successfully prepared by electrodeposition. The mechanical properties of the laminar SACNT/Ni composites were substantially improved compared with those of pure nickel. With increasing content of SACNTs, the tensile strength of the composite increased and the elongation decreased because of the high-strength SACNTs bearing part of an applied load and the fine-grained strengthening mechanism. The nanohardness of the SACNT/Ni composites was improved from 3.92 GPa(pure nickel) to 4.62 GPa(Ni-4 vol%SACNTs). The uniform distribution of SACNTs in the composites and strong interfacial bonding between the SACNTs and the nickel matrix resulted in an improvement of the mechanical properties of the SACNT/Ni composites. The introduced SACNTs refined the nickel grains, increased the amount of crystal twins, and changed the preferred orientation of grain growth.

Detecting Impact Damage in Carbon Fabric/epoxy-matrix Composites by Ultrasonic F-scan and Electrical Resistance Measurement

The status and the variation of electrical resistance of impacted carbon fiber/epoxy-matrix composites were studied by ultrasonic F-scan and electrical resistance measurement The experimental results shows that impact damage energy threshold value of carbon fabric/epoxy-matrix composites can determine by using ultrasonic F-scan. When the impact energy exceeds the threshold value, damage is generated in composites. Electrical resistance of impacted composites is changed owing to the contact of each carbon fiber unit in composites, which cause a change of the series-parallel in conductors. The veracity of detecting impact damage in composites can be improved in this case.

Thermo-physical Properties of Continuous Carbon Fiber Reinforced Copper Matrix Composites

Continuous carbon fiber reinforced copper matrix composites with 70%(volume fraction) of carbon fibers prepared by squeeze casting technique have been used for investigation of the coefficient of thermal expansion(CTE) and thermal conductivity.Thermo-physical properties have been measured in both,longitudinal and transversal directions to the fiber orientation.The results showed that Cf/Cu composites may be a suitable candidate for heat sinks because of its good thermo-physical properties e.g.the low CTE(4.18×10-6/K) in longitudinal orientation and(14.98×10-6/K) in transversal orientation at the range of 20-50℃,a good thermal conductivity(87.2 W/m·K) in longitudinal orientation and(58.2 W/m·K) in transversal orientation.Measured CTE and thermal conductivity values are compared with those predicted by several well-known models.Eshelby model gave better results for prediction of the CTE and thermal conductivity of the unidirectional composites.

Damping capacity of amorphous carbon fiber/aluminum matrix composites at room temperature

The influence of volume fraction on damping capacities at room temperature for amorphous carbon fiber reinforced aluminum matrix composites was investigated.At room temperature,the dislocation damping is the primary damping mechanism.Meanwhile,the dislocation damping exhibits dynamic hysteresis at low strain amplitudes and static hysteresis at high strain amplitudes.Moreover,the damping capacity is rather sensitive to the volume fraction.Compared to unreinforced aluminum alloy,the additions of amorphous carbon fibers into the aluminum matrix can improve damping capacity below the volume fraction of 30%,whereas worsen above the volume fraction of 40%.

Synthesis and thermal stability of multiwall carbon nanotubes reinforced aluminum metal matrix composites

Multiwall carbon nanotubes（MWNTs） reinforced aluminum composites were synthesized by hot press sintering. The thermal stability of MWNTs in the composite was investigated by transmission electron microscopy（TEM）. The results show that the impurities drop from 2% to 0.11% after the MWNTs are soaked with 95%H2SO4 and 66%HNO4 acids in an ultrasonator and washed with distilled water. In hot pressed composites, MWNTs distribute between aluminum powders and do not react with aluminum. When the composite was held at 800℃ for 1h, MWNTs react with aluminum and form Al4C3 phase, which are small polygons and distribute in the aluminum grains. Although Al4C3 phase still forms when the composite was held at 1000℃ for 1h, its morphology changes to a continuous band and distributes along the origin aluminum powder boundaries. So MWNTs are unstable in aluminum matrix composites that are kept above the liquidus temperature of aluminum.

3D printed aluminum matrix composites with well-defined ordered structures of shear-induced aligned carbon fibers

Carbon fiber reinforced aluminum composites with ordered architectures of shear-induced aligned carbon fibers were fabricated by 3D printing.The microstructures of the printed and sintered samples and mechanical properties of the composites were investigated.Carbon fibers and aluminum powder were bonded together with resin.The spatial arrangement of the carbon fibers was fixed in the aluminum matrix by shear-induced alignment in the3D printing process.As a result,the elongation of the composites with a parallel arrangement of aligned fibers and the impact toughness of the composites with an orthogonal arrangement were 0.82%and 0.41 J/cm^(2),respectively,about 0.4 and 0.8 times higher than that of the random arrangement.

Evaluation of Impact Damage Tolerance in Carbon Fabric/epoxy-matrix Composites by Electrical Resistance Measurement

Impact damage tolerance is provided in intensity design on composites. The compression intensity of impacted composites requires more than 60% of its original intensity. The influence of impact on compressive intensity and electrical resistance of carbon fabric/epoxy-matrix composites was studied in this paper. The experimental results shows that impact can cause damage in composites, degenerate compressive intensity, and increase resistance. The electrical resistance change rate was used as an evaluation indicator of impact damage tolerance of composites. Impact damage, which results from the applying process of composites, can be identified in time by electrical resistance measurement. So, the safety performance of composites can also be improved.

Mechanical properties of Cu based composites reinforced by carbon nanotubes

Cu based composites reinforced by 0%～25% (volume fraction) carbon nanotubes were prepared.The fracture behaviors and the rolling properties of the composites and the effects of the volume fraction of the carbon nanotubes were studied.The experimental results show that the fracture toughness of the composites is related to the pulling out and bridging of the carbon nanotubes in the fracture process.With the volume fraction of the carbon nanotubes increasing, the Vicker’s hardness and the compactness of the composites increase first and then decrease. The peaks of the hardness and the compactness occur at 12%～15% of volume fraction of carbon nanotubes.Some proper ratio of rolling reduction benefits to the comprehensive mechanical properties of the composites.

Thermal conductivity of carbon nanotube-silver composite

The molecular level mixing method was extended to fabricate carbon nanotube reinforced silver composite. The influence of type of carbon nanotubes（single/multiwall） reinforcement and their mode of functionalization（covalent/non-covalent） on thermal conductivity of silver composite was investigated. X-ray diffraction and electron diffraction spectroscopy（EDS） confirm the presence of silver and carbon in the composite powder. High resolution scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy ascertain embedded, anchored and homogeneously implanted carbon nanotubes in silver matrix. Effect of covalent functionalization on multiwall carbon nanotubes was monitored by Raman and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. These investigations confirm the addition of functional groups and structural integrity of carbon nanotubes even after covalent functionalization. Thermal conductivity of composites was measured by a laser flash technique and theoretically analyzed using an effective medium approach. The experimental results reveal that thermal conductivity decreases after incorporation of covalently functionalized multiwall nanotubes and single wall carbon nanotubes. However, non-covalently functionalized multiwall nanotube reinforcement leads to the increase in effective thermal conductivity of the composite and is in agreement with theoretical predictions derived from effective medium theory, in absence of interfacial thermal resistance.

Fiber Traction Printing:A 3D Printing Method of Continuous Fiber Reinforced Metal Matrix Composite

A novel metal matrix composite freeform fabrication approach,fiber traction printing(FTP),is demonstrated through controlling the wetting behavior between fibers and the matrix.This process utilizes the fiber bundle to control the cross-sectional shape of the liquid metal,shaping it from circular to rectangular which is more precise.The FTP process could resolve manufacturing difficulties in the complex structure of continuous fiber reinforced metal matrix composites.The printing of the first layer monofilament is discussed in detail,and the effects of the fibrous coating thickness on the mechanical properties and microstructures of the composite are also investigated in this paper.The composite material prepared by the FTP process has a tensile strength of 235.2 MPa,which is close to that of composites fabricated by conventional processes.The complex structures are printed to demonstrate the advantages and innovations of this approach.Moreover,the FTP method is suited to other material systems with good wettability,such as modified carbon fiber,surfactants,and aluminum alloys.

Effect of carbon content on microstructure of in-situ Al_2O_(3p)-TiC_p/Al composites

The in situ Al 2O 3p TiC p/Al composite was fabricated by XD (exothermic dispersion) process in TiO 2 Al C system, and the effect of carbon content on the microstructure of the fabricated composite and the reactive temperature characteristics had been studied. The results show that carbon content affects the microstructure and reactive temperature of Al 2O 3p TiC p/Al composite greatly. The quantity of TiC phases in the fabricated composites increases, while the Al 3Ti phases reduces with increasing carbon content. And when C/TiO 2 molecular ratio is equal to one, the Al 3Ti phase nearly disappears. High temperature metallurgical field caused by strong exothermic reaction influences the synthetic reaction greatly, and higher synthetic temperature was favorable to the synthesis of Al 2O 3p TiC p reinforce particles.