Aluminum/carbon nanotube composite is a promising candidate material for aerospace applications owing to its high strength-to-weight ratio. Because of the low density of carbon nanotubes (CNTs), their dispersion is difficult in molten metal. We investigated induction melting, a fairly distinct approach to facilitate the dispersion of CNTs in molten aluminum. The nanocomposites were characterized using scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and mechanical testing. Refinement in crystallite size (～320 nm) and increase in lattice strain (～3.24 × 10?3) were observed in the composites. A simultaneous increase in yield strength (～77%), tensile strength (～52%), ductility (～44%) and hardness (～45%) was observed. Induction melting appeared to be a potential method to fabricate aluminum-CNTs composites.
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