Fabrication of High Strength Al Nanocomposites with Populous TiB2 Nanoparticles

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High performance lightweight metals offer tremendous potential to improve energy efficiency and system performance for numerous applications. Traditional manufacturing processes such as thermomechanical processing and deformation have reached their limits in further improving the properties of metals. Thus, a new approach is necessary to develop high performance lightweight metals which can offer promising properties. Metal matrix nanocomposite (MMNC) is an excellent approach to produce lightweight metals with improved properties that cannot be achieved by traditional manufacturing. Effective incorporation of a suitable nanoparticles system in a metallic matrix such as aluminum (Al) can improve the performance of the matrix. However, due to the high chemical reactivity and poor wettability of Al with nanoparticles, achieving high volume fraction of nanoparticles incorporation is of a great challenge. Here we show a novel approach to incorporate high volume fraction of titanium diboride (TiB2) nanoparticles in Al matrix. Al-TiB2 nanocomposite microparticles were initially produced via flux assisted solidification processes. Al-TiB2 nanocomposites were produced by cold compaction followed by melting. Scanning electron microscopic (SEM) images revealed that the TiB2 nanoparticles are unfirmly dispersed and distributed in Al matrix. Al-TiB2 nanocomposites with as high as 485.9±16.9 Vickers hardness were successfully produced. Furthermore, the effect of melting time was studied on the hardness of the Al-TiB2 nanocomposites.