Synthesis of the Ni–Al–C Composite with Multilayer Carbon Nanostructures by an Electrothermal Explosion under Pressure

Abstract

A composite material based on the Ni–Al–C system is synthesized by the method of an electrothermal explosion at a pressure of 96 MPa. During the electrothermal explosion in a reactive powder medium (Ni + Al + C), a Ni- and Al-based melt is formed, in which carbon dissolves. In the process of crystallization of the final product, carbon, due to its low solubility in NiAl, is located on the surface of intermetallic grains of NiAl in the form of multilayer graphite nanofilms 50–80 nm thick and fills the intergranular space. The microhardness of the synthesized material is 3084 MPa.