Preparation and tribological properties of homogeneously dispersed graphene-reinforced aluminium matrix composites

摘要

Aluminium matrix composites reinforced with homogeneously dispersed graphene (Gr/Al) were fabricated by electrostatic self-assembly and powder metallurgy. The microstructure of the composites was observed. The effects of graphene content, applied load and sliding speed on the tribological properties of the composites were also investigated. The results show that graphene is homogeneously dispersed in the aluminium matrix. The coefficient of friction for the composites initially increases and later decreases with increasing graphene content. It is lowest in the 0.3 wt-% Gr/Al composite, which is a decrease of approximately 20% when compared to that of pure aluminium. The coefficient of friction of the composites appears to increase significantly when increasing the applied load. However, it decreases with increases in the sliding speed.