Structure and properties of the superelastic and hard carbon particles reinforcing wear-resistant composite materials obtained from mixtures of iron and fullerene powders under pressure

Abstract

The structure and mechanical properties of hard and superelastic carbon particles formed at a pressure of 5 GPa at 1200–1400°C upon the consolidation of metal-fullerene powder mixture into a composite material have been studied by optical microscopy, high-resolution electron microscopy, nanoindentation, etc. The reinforcing carbon particles are characterized by an elastic hardness of up to 15 GPa, a high elastic recovery (80–90%), an elastic modulus of 60–90 GPa, a low density (about 2 g/cm3), and a high cracking resistance. The particles are X-ray amorphous, but they inherit the pattern of the initial fullerite crystals. The metallic composite materials reinforced by the hard and superelastic carbon particles in abrasive resistance surpass the well-known wear-resistant steels by an order of magnitude and approach diamond-like coatings in their friction coefficients (about 0.12).