Synthesis of nanocomposite copper - molybdenum powder by mechanical alloying

摘要

The synthsis of nanocomposite copper-molybdenum (7 wt %) powder by mechanical allloying of the elemental powders was performed in a conventional horizontal ball mill for a milling time up to 100 h. A steady state, characterized by the formation of equiaxial particles of uniform size and constant hardness, was achieved after 32 h of milling. By scanning electron miscrocopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDS), a uniform dispersion of both components was detected after 100 h milling, while X-ray diffraction revealed the presence of a very Tine nanocrystal microstructurc of copper in the composite particles. Asa result of the fine distribution of molybdenum in the copper, the alloy hardness was 4.5 times higher than that of the initial copper.