CNTs/Cu Composites Fabricated by Ball Mixing and Spark Plasma Sintering

摘要

In this study, we synthesized a carbon nanotubes (CNTs) reinforced copper matrix composites (CNTs/Cu) by ball mixing (BM) and spark plasma sintering (SPS) methods. The CNTs/Cu composites powders containing different volume fractions of CNTs were obtained by ball mixing. The CNTs/Cu composites were consolidated by SPS process. Vickers hardness and electrical conductivity of the CNTs/Cu composites were measured. The results indicate that the mechanical properties of the CNTs/Cu composites are enhanced because of the strengthening effect of CNTs. For instance, the 3% CNTs/Cu composite has a maximum Vickers hardness of 1.37 GPa, which is 37 % higher than that of pure copper, and electrical conductivity at a high level of 86.0%IACS (International Annealed Copper Standard).