Spark plasma sintering of cryomilled copper powder

The densification and sintering behaviour of a cryomilled copper powder (grain size of 17 +/- 2 nm and dislocation density of 6.26 +/- 0.04 x 10(16) m(-2)) were investigated and compared to those of an atomised copper powder with the same mean particle size in order to highlight the effect of the nanostructure on spark plasma sintering (SPS). Oxygen and nitrogen contamination of the cryomilled powder gives rise to extensive degassing during SPS up to 400 degrees C. The cryomilled powder is more resistant to plastic deformation than the atomised one, but the huge density of dislocations and grain boundary activates sintering at low temperature. Densification is therefore promoted by deformation in the atomised powder and by sintering shrinkage in the cryomilled one. As a consequence, in the SPS conditions investigated, the atomised specimen is densified but not sintered, while the cryomilled one is effectively sintered and consequently densified.