Mechanical, tribological and electrical properties of Cu-CNT composites fabricated by flake powder metallurgy method

Abstract

Cu-CNT composites were fabricated by a flake powder metallurgy method, and their microhardness, electrical conductivity, frictional and wear properties were investigated. Homogenous distribution of CNTs in fine-grained Cu matrix was obtained using this process. Microhardness increased with the addition of CNT vol% up to 8% to the Cu matrix, while the conductivity decreased to 79.2 IACS %. Results showed that CNTs play a major role in improving wear resistance by forming a CNT-rich film that acts as a solid lubricant layer. In the synthesized composites, Cu- 4vol% CNT composite exhibited the best wear and friction properties. The dominant wear mechanisms for the Cu-CNT composites were plastic deformation, abrasion, and flake formation-spalling. Also, a newly modified correlation was proposed for the theoretical calculation of the friction coefficient of Cu-CNT composites consisting agglomerated CNTs.