Synthesis of metal-metal oxide (Me-MenOm) nanocomposites by partial reduction and cold sintering

Abstract

Metal matrix nanocomposites (MMNCs) require the development of new manufacturing techniques that enable enhanced control over their microstructure and mechanical performance. The approach for MMNC fabrication proposed in this work combines the partial reduction of the oxide nanopowder with the subsequent cold sintering. We show that it is possible to avoid unwanted structural changes such as grain coarsening and inclusion agglomeration. We reveal that a core-shell structure of partially reduced Fe2O3 particles facilitates reliable sintering and enables the fabrication of near-dense MMNCs reinforced by iron oxide nanoparticles. The fabricated composites exhibit a homogeneous distribution of reinforcing oxide inclusions and demonstrate high mechanical strength.