Synthesis and Characterization of Aluminum-Nanodiamond Composite Powders by High Energy Ball Milling

摘要

High-energy ball milling was studied for the ex situ strengthening of aluminum (Al) with nanodiamond (ND). Al-ND metal matrix composite powders with 5 wt% and 10 wt% nanodiamond were synthesized by high-energy ball milling of the blended component powders. Stearic acid was used as a process control agent to minimize agglomeration of the powders upon milling. A uniform distribution of the ND reinforcement was successfully obtained after milling the powders for a period of ten hours with a ball-to-powder ratio of 30:1 in a SPEX 8000M ball mill. Composition and properties of the Al-ND composite was studied using energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS) mapping, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), optical microscopy, and nanoindentation techniques.