Kwon Hansang, Kurita Hiroki, Leparoux Marc, Kawasaki Akira
Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, Advanced Materials Processing, Feuerwerkerstrasse 39, CH-3602 Thun, Switzerland.
J Nanosci Nanotechnol. 2011 May;11(5):4119-26. doi: 10.1166/jnn.2011.3866.
Spark plasma sintering and hot extrusion processes have been employed for fabricating carbon nanofiber (CNF)-aluminum (Al) matrix bulk materials. The Al powder and the CNFs were mixed in a mixing medium of natural rubber. The CNFs were well dispersed onto the Al particles. After removal of the natural rubber, the Al-CNF mixture powders were highly densified. From the microstructural viewpoint, the composite materials were observed by optical, field-emission scanning electron, and high-resolution transmission electron microscopies. The CNFs were found to be located on every grain boundary and aligned with the extrusion direction of the Al-CNF bulk materials. Some Al carbides (Al4C3) were also observed at the surface of the CNFs. This carbide was created by a reaction between the Al and the disordered CNF. The CNFs and the formation of Al4C3 play an important role in the enhancement of the mechanical properties of the Al-CNF bulk material. The CNFs can also be used for engineering reinforcement of other matrix materials such as ceramics, polymers and more complex matrices.
放电等离子烧结和热挤压工艺已被用于制备碳纳米纤维（CNF）增强铝（Al）基块状材料。铝粉和碳纳米纤维在天然橡胶混合介质中混合。碳纳米纤维很好地分散在铝颗粒上。去除天然橡胶后，铝-碳纳米纤维混合粉末被高度致密化。从微观结构的角度，通过光学显微镜、场发射扫描电子显微镜和高分辨率透射电子显微镜对复合材料进行了观察。发现碳纳米纤维位于每个晶界上，并与铝-碳纳米纤维块状材料的挤压方向对齐。在碳纳米纤维表面也观察到一些碳化铝（Al4C3）。这种碳化物是由铝与无序的碳纳米纤维之间的反应产生的。碳纳米纤维和Al4C3的形成在增强铝-碳纳米纤维块状材料的力学性能方面起着重要作用。碳纳米纤维还可用于其他基体材料（如陶瓷、聚合物和更复杂的基体）的工程增强。
