Synthesis of multi-walled carbon nanotube/silver nanocomposite powders by chemical reduction in aqueous solution

Carbon nanotube (CNT)/silver nanocomposite powders with different volume fractions of CNTs 2.5, 5 and 10?vol.% were prepared by chemical reduction in solution. Multi-walled CNTs underwent surface modifications for functionalisations by acid treatments. The acid-treated CNTs were investigated by FT-IR and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The spectroscopic investigations of the acid-functionalised CNTs detected that several kinds of functional groups attached with the graphene structure as well as produced short and de-caped CNTs. Acidic stannous chloride solution was used to sensitise the surface of the functionalised CNTs. Silver was deposited on the surface of sensitised CNTs with chemical reduction reaction of alkaline silver nitrate solution by formaldehyde at room temperature and pH?～?9. The morphology of the produced CNT/silver nanocomposite powder was investigated by high-resolution SEM and TEM. It was observed that the produced CNT/silver nanocomposite powders have decorated type of spherical silver particle size 2–5?nm deposited on the surface of CNTs as well as the CNTs were implanted in large spherical silver nanoparticles of particle size ～200?nm. The chemical analysis of the produced powder indicates that some oxygen content is included in the prepared powders which can be reduced by heat treatment at temperatures between 300°C and 400°C under hydrogen atmosphere.     

Microstructures and tensile behavior of carbon nanotube reinforced Cu matrix nanocomposites

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been considered as an ideal reinforcement to improve the mechanical performance of monolithic materials. However, the CNT/metal nanocomposites have shown lower strength than expected. In this study, the CNT reinforced Cu matrix nanocomposites were fabricated by spark plasma sintering (SPS) of high energy ball-milled nano-sized Cu powders with multi-wall CNTs, and followed by cold rolling process. The microstructure of CNT/Cu nanocomposites consists of two regions including CNT/Cu composite region, where most CNTs are distributed, and CNT free Cu matrix region. The stress–strain curves of CNT/Cu nanocomposites show a two-step yielding behavior, which is caused from the microstructural characteristics consisting of two regions and the load transfer between these regions. The CNT/Cu nanocomposites show a tensile strength of 281 MPa, which is approximately 1.6 times higher than that of monolithic Cu. It is confirmed that the key issue to enhance the strength of CNT/metal nanocomposite is homogeneous distribution of CNTs.     

Dimethylformamide: an effective dispersant for making ceramic-carbon nanotube composites

Carbon nanotube (CNT) and alumina dispersions were prepared separately in dimethylformamide (DMF) and ethanol by ultrasonication. The colloidal stability of the dispersions was monitored and a particle size analysis was performed to evaluate the size range of the agglomerates after different times. DMF was found to be a much more effective dispersant than ethanol for making stable, homogeneous CNT and composite dispersions. Alumina-CNT (4.65?vol%) nanocomposites were sintered in a spark plasma sintering (SPS) furnace. DMF dispersions produced homogeneously distributed and agglomerate-free CNT-alumina nanocomposites with higher electrical conductivity as compared to nanocomposites prepared using ethanol.     

Characteristics evaluation of SiC/Si nanocomposites produced by spark plasma sintering

SiC–Si composites are widely used either as a bulk material or as a matrix for fibre reinforced ceramics. In the current research, nanocomposites of SiC–Si with different volume fractions of Si were sintered by spark plasma sintering (SPS) for the first time. The effect of Si content and different sintering parameters on relative density, microstructure, hardness and fracture toughness of the sintered materials have been investigated. The relative density increased from about 83 to 99% by increasing the sintering temperature to 1700°C, sintering time to 10?min, and pressure to 70?MPa for composites containing >20?vol.-% Si. The results revealed that the full dense SiC–20?vol.-%Si composite can be obtained by SPS at 1700°C, 10?min and 70?MPa. Moreover, in this condition, the hardness and toughness of the composites reached the optimum values.     

Al/CNT nanocomposite fabrication on the different property of raw material using a planetary ball mill

In recent years, significant research has been focused on the development of carbon nanotube (CNT) reinforced aluminum nanocomposites, which are quickly emerging because of their lightweight, high strength and other mechanical properties. The potential applications of these composites include the automotive and aerospace industries. In this study, powder metallurgy techniques are employed to fabricate aluminum (Al)/CNT nanocomposites with different raw material properties with optimized conditions. We successfully fabricated three different samples, including un-milled Al, un-milled Al with CNT and milled Al with CNT nanocomposites, in the presence of additional CNTs with various experimental conditions using a planetary ball mill. Scanning electron microscopy and field emission scanning electron microscopy are used to evaluate the particle morphology and CNT dispersion. The CNTs are well dispersed on the surface of the fabricated milled Al with CNT nanocomposites than un-milled Al with CNT nanocomposites for milling. The fabricated Al/CNT nanocomposites are processed by a compacting, sintering and rolling process. Vickers hardness measurements are used to characterize the mechanical properties. The hardness of the Al/CNT nanocomposites are improved milled Al with CNT nanocomposite compared other fabricated composites.     

Densification behavior and mechanical properties of spark plasma-sintered ZrC–TiC and ZrC–TiC–CNT composites

Titanium carbide (TiC) and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were introduced into zirconium carbide (ZrC) ceramics to improve the fracture toughness. ZrC–TiC and ZrC–TiC–CNT composites containing 0–30 vol.% TiC and 0.25–1 mass% CNT were prepared by spark plasma sintering at temperatures of 1750–1850 °C for 300 s under a pressure of 40 MPa. Densification behavior, microstructure, and mechanical properties of the ZrC-based composites were investigated. Fully dense ZrC–TiC and ZrC–TiC–CNT composites with a relative density of more than 98 % were obtained. Vickers hardness of ZrC-based composites increased with increasing TiC content and the highest hardness was achieved with the addition of 20 vol.% TiC. Addition of CNTs up to 0.5 wt% significantly increased the fracture toughness of ZrC-based composites, whereas the addition of TiC did not have this effect.     

Nickel Oxide/Carbon Nanotubes Nanocomposite for Electrochemical Capacitance

A nanocomposite of nickel oxide/carbon nanotubes was prepared through a simple chemical precipitation followed by thermal annealing. The electrochemical capacitance of this electrode material was studied. When the mass fraction of CNTs (carbon nanotubes) in NiO/CNT composites increases, the electrical resistivity of nanocomposites decreases and becomes similar to that of pure CNTs when it reaches 30%. The specific surface area of composites increases with increasing CNT mass fraction and the specific capacitance reaches 160 F/g under 10 mA/g discharge current density at CNT mass fraction of 10%.     

Fabrication and effective thermal conductivity of multi-walled carbon nanotubes reinforced Cu matrix composites for heat sink applications

A novel particles-compositing method was used for the first time to disperse different contents of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in micron sized copper powders, which were subsequently consolidated into CNT/Cu composites by spark plasma sintering (SPS). Microstructural observations showed that the homogeneous distribution of CNTs and dense composites could be obtained for 0–10 vol.% CNT contents. The CNT clusters were appeared in the powder mixture with 15 vol.% CNTs, which resulted in an insufficient densification of the composites. The effective thermal conductivity of the composites was analyzed both theoretically and experimentally. The addition of CNTs showed no enhancement in overall thermal conductivity of the composites due to the interface thermal resistance associated with the low phase contrast of CNT to copper and the random tube orientation. Besides, the composite containing 15 vol.% CNTs led to a rather low thermal conductivity due possiblely to the combined effect of unfavorable factors induced by the presence of CNT clusters, i.e. large porosity, lower effective conductivity of CNT clusters themselves and reduction of SPS cleaning effect. The CNT/Cu composites may be a promising thermal management material for heat sink applications.     

Mechanical properties of carbon nanotube–alumina nanocomposites synthesized by chemical vapor deposition and spark plasma sintering

Carbon nanotubes–alumina (CNT–Al₂O₃) nanocomposites with variable CNT content were directly synthesized by chemical vapor deposition (CVD). The as-grown CNT–Al₂O₃ mixture was densified by spark plasma sintering (SPS) at 1150 and 1450 °C. Vickers hardness of 9.98 GPa and fracture toughness of 4.7 MPam^1/2 were obtained for 7.39 wt.% CNT–Al₂O₃ nanocomposite. The addition of CNTs gives rise to 8.4% increase in hardness and 21.1% increase in toughness over that of the pure Al₂O₃. The optimum amount of CNTs is considered to be able to significantly enhance the mechanical property of ceramics in composites.     

Synthesis of Cu-W nanocomposite by high-energy ball milling

The Cu-W bulk nanocomposites of different compositions were successfully synthesized by high-energy ball milling of elemental powders. The nanocrystalline nature of the Cu-W composite powder is confirmed by X-ray diffraction analysis, transmission electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy. The Cu-W nanocomposite powder could be sintered at 300-400 degrees C below the sintering temperature of the un-milled Cu-W powders. The Cu-W nanocomposites showed superior densification and hardness than that of un-milled Cu-W composites. The nanocomposites also have three times higher hardness to resistivity ratio in comparison to Oxygen free high conductivity copper.     

Toughening of polyamide 11 with carbon nanotubes for additive manufacturing

It has been reported that the addition of nanofillers/nanoparticles into the thermoplastic polymers could enhance the toughness of the polymer matrix. In this work, the mechanical and thermal properties of a multi-walled carbon nanotubes (CNT)/polyamide 11 nanocomposite for additive manufacturing was evaluated. Well-dispersed PA11/CNT nanocomposite powders were processed successfully by laser sintering. Compared to the pristine PA11, the fracture toughness of the PA11/CNT nanocomposite was enhanced by ～54% by incorporating of only 0.2?wt% CNTs. With differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscope fractography analysis, the nanostructure and the toughening mechanism which lead to the toughness improvement was well identified and understood.     

Microwave-absorbing properties of silver nanoparticle/carbon nanotube hybrid nanocomposites

Silver (Ag) nanoparticles fabricated by chemical reduction process were grafted onto the surface of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) to prepare hybrid nanocomposites. The Ag/CNT hybrid nanomaterials were characterized using transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and Raman spectroscopy. The Ag/CNT hybrid nanomaterials were then loaded in paraffin wax, and pressed into toroidal shape with thickness of 1 mm to evaluate their complex permittivity and complex permeability by scattering parameters measurement method in reflection mode using vector network analyzer. The reflection loss of the samples was calculated according to the transmission line theory using their measured complex permittivity and permeability. The minimum reflection loss of the Ag/CNT hybrid nanocomposite sample with a thickness of 1 mm reached 21.9 dB (over 99 % absorption) at 12.9 GHz, and also exhibited a wide response bandwidth where the frequency bandwidth of the reflection loss of less than ?10 dB (over 90 % absorption) was from 11.7 to 14.0 GHz. The Ag/CNT hybrid nanocomposite with thickness of 6 mm showed a minimum reflection loss of ~?32.1 dB (over 99.9 % absorption) at 3.0 GHz and was the best absorber when compared with the other samples of different thickness. The reflection loss shifted to lower frequency as the thickness of the samples increased. The capability to modulate the absorption band of these samples to suit various applications in different frequency bands simply by manipulating their thickness indicates that these hybrid nanocomposites could be a promising microwave absorber.     

SiC-ZrO2(3Y)-Al2O3纳米复相陶瓷的力学性能和显微结构

本文介绍用非均相沉淀方法制备的纳米ＳｉＣ－ＺｒＯ２（３Ｙ）－Ａｌ２Ｏ３复合粉体经放电等离子超快速烧得到晶内型的纳米复相陶瓷,超快速烧结的升温速率为６００℃／ｍｉｎ,在烧结温度不保温,迅即在３ｍｉｎ内冷却至６００℃以下。     

Microwave absorption properties of carbon nanotubes dispersed in alumina ceramic

Ceramic nanocomposites of alumina and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are experimentally studied for use as microwave absorbers in particle accelerators. The weight percentage of multi-walled CNTs in SPS sintered nanocomposite samples is varied from 0.5 to 10% and the complex permittivity is measured. The RF absorption is strong and relatively flat in the frequency band 1-40 GHz for a CNT weight percentage in the range 1-2.5%, which is just above the percolation threshold. The permittivity is observed to increase dramatically with increasing CNT weight percentage above the percolation threshold as observed elsewhere, and in accordance with theoretical treatments. The electromagnetic properties of the nanocomposites are little changed in going from 294 K to 77 K. The DC conductivity of the alumina-CNT nanocomposite is also sufficient to drain static charge in particle accelerator beamline environments, even at cryogenic temperatures. Fabrication of the nanocomposites using an industrial RF sintering process compatible with large sizes shows that the microwave absorption properties of small samples are similar to those of the SPS sintered samples.     

Nano-silver modified carbon nanotubes to reinforce the copper matrix composites and their mechanical properties

In ensuring the effective load transfer of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) reinforced copper (Cu)-based composites, good and stable interface contact is a key factor. Powder electrodeposition technology is used in the present study to coat silver (Ag) nanoparticles on CNTs for the first time. Subsequently, by ball milling and spark plasma sintering, uniform distribution of CNTs in the Cu matrix and tight Cu/C interface bonding are successfully achieved. It is found that Ag nanoparticles with a size of 5 nm are evenly embedded in the surface of CNTs. The results reveal that the agglomeration of CNTs is prevented by the addition of Ag nanoparticles and the adhesion between CNTs and Cu matrix is enhanced by the formation of coherent interface. Further, the load transfer of composite materials is effectively realized by the pinning effect of Ag particles on CNTs. The tensile strength, elongation, and conductivity of the 0.75 CNT-Ag/Cu samples were 314 MPa, 24.8%, and 93.6% IACS, respectively, which are 40.1%, 818%, and 3.3% higher than those of the CNT/Cu samples, respectively. The present method provides a new direction for the uniform coating powder materials and the synergistic strengthening of metal matrix composites.     

Spark Plasma Sintered Hydroxyapatite/Multiwalled Carbon Nanotube Composites With Preferred Crystal Orientation

Hydroxyapatite (HA) and its nanocomposites reinforced with low loading levels of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) are prepared by spark plasma sintering process. The structure, morphology, and hardness of sintered HA and MWNT/HA nanocomposites are characterized by means of X‐ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy and nanoindentation techniques. XRD results show that the orientation of crystallographic planes of sintered HA are highly related to the applied pressure direction. The perpendicular section of sintered MWNT/HA nanocomposites shows predominantly oriented HA a‐and b‐planes while the parallel section displays a dominant c‐plane orientation. The hardness of MWNT/HA nanocomposites improves considerably with increasing MWNT content.     

Superconducting and mechanical properties of YBCO-Ag composite superconductors

The measurements of electrical properties and X-ray structural analysis were made for sintered composite materials prepared by mixing the powders of the ceramic superconductor YBa₂Cu₃O_7–x (YBCO) and the powders of the pure metal element M with with M = Ni, Cu and Ag at 50 vol% proportions. The superconducting and mechanical properties were studied further on the YBCO-Ag system in the wide volume fractions 0 to 92%Ag. The onset of the superconductivity is found to occur even for samples containing more than 80 vol % Ag. The value of the critical current density is increased initially by adding silver. The mechanical strength against fracture is also improved. The X-ray structural analysis coupled with scanning electron micrographs revealed that silver and YBCO remain intact after sintering and that fine YBCO particles form continuous networks around homogeneously distributed silver particles. This explains well both superconducting and mechanical properties in the present YBCO-Ag composite system.     

SmCo_5/α-Fe双相复合纳米晶磁体的结构与磁性研究

超声波分解Fe（CO）5的产物Fe纳米颗粒,通过非均相沉淀获得包覆型SmCo5/α-Fe双相复合磁粉,采用放电等离子快速热压技术（Spark Plasma Sintering,SPS）制备出全致密的各向同性Sm-Co5/α-Fe双相复合纳米晶磁体,研究发现,软磁相α-Fe添加后,磁体的剩磁Mr有所提高,矫顽力Hci则有所减小,随后通过对各向同性磁体进行热变形制备出各向异性磁体,形成了较好的C轴晶体织构。软磁相α-Fe名义含量为10%时,磁体磁性能为：μ0Ms=1.01T、μ0Mr=0.86T、Hci=0.1708T。     

Effect of volume fraction and particle size of alumina reinforcement on compaction and densification behavior of Al-Al2O3 nanocomposites

Al-Al₂O₃ nanostructured composite powders containing 1, 3 and 7 percent volume fraction (vf%) of submicron/nanometeric alumina particles as reinforcement phase were produced by high energy milling. The powders were consolidated by a uniaxial cold press and sintered for various durations of time. Effects of reinforcement particle size and volume fraction on compaction and sintering behavior of nanocomposite powders were investigated considering relative density as the main criterion. It was found that the nanometeric alumina particles had a more hindering effect on densification of the composite powders as compared to the submicron particles. The hindering effect was found to be aggravated by higher volume fractions of the reinforcement particles.