WC-Ni cemented carbides prepared from Ni nano-dot coated powders

Abstract

This study presents a novel approach for the synthesis of WC-Ni cemented carbides with enhanced mechanical properties. A low-cost solution-based route was used to coat WC powders with well-distributed metallic nickel dots measuring between 17 nm and 39 nm in diameter. Varying compositions with loadings of 2, 6, and 14 vol% Ni were consolidated using spark plasma sintering (SPS) at 1350 °C under 50 MPa of uniaxial pressure giving relative densities of 99 ± 1 %. The sintered WC-Ni cemented carbides had an even distribution of the Ni binder phase in all compositions, with retained ultrafine WC grain sizes of 0.5 ± 0.1 μm from the starting powder. The enhanced sinterability of the coated powders allowed for consolidation to near theoretical densities, with a binder content as low as 2 vol%. This is attributed to the uniform distribution of nickel and an extensive Ni-WC interface existing prior to sintering. The small size of the Ni dots likely also contributed to the solid-state sintering starting temperatures of as low as 800 °C. The mechanical performance of the resulting cemented carbides was evaluated by measuring the hardness at temperatures between 20 °C and 700 °C and estimating toughness at room temperature using Vickers indentations. These results showed that the mechanical properties of the WC-Ni cemented carbides synthesised by our method were comparable to conventionally prepared WC-Co cemented carbides with similar grain sizes and binder contents and superior to conventionally prepared WC-Ni cemented carbides. In particular, the 2 vol% Ni composition had excellent hardness at room temperature of up to 2210HV10, while still having an indentation fracture toughness of 7 MPa·m0.5. Therefore, WC-Ni cemented carbides processed by this novel approach are a promising alternative to conventional WC-Co cemented carbides for a wide range of applications.