Synthesis and Characterization of Titanium Carbide and/or Alumina Nanoparticle Reinforced Copper Matrix Composites by Spark Plasma Sintering

Spark plasma sintering (SPS) permitted fabricating Cu-based nanocomposites with 3 wt.% titanium carbide, 3 wt.% alumina, and a novel hybrid of both has a 1.5 wt.%. This less hybrid reinforcement amount was selected to achieve better strengthening while maintaining a high degree of electrical conductivity. The physical, mechanical, and structural behavior of the composites after SPS was investigated here. Microstructural characterization showed that TiC and Al2O3 nanoparticles are homogeneously distributed in the Cu matrix. The addition of TiC/Al2O3 reinforcements to the copper matrix induces a significant increase in hardness, yield, and ultimate compression strength, and the ductility sustains at a comparatively great level, while the density followed a reverse trend. The mechanical test results demonstrated that the hybrid Cu/TiC-Al2O3 composite has an increase in hardness (37.6 %) and yield strength (115.7 %) over the unreinforced Cu. The Cu/Al2O3 composite containing 3 wt.%, Al2O3 has a maximum hardness of 149.0 Hv and the highest yield strength of 478.7 MPa (more than the monolithic copper by ~ 83 %, and 260 %), respectively.