Preparation And Study On The Properties Of Copper-based Composite Reinforced By Carbon Nanotubes

Copper-based composite materials with good conductivity and high-strength, as a function of performance materials, have been widely used in many ways. However, as the performance of copper-based composite materials becoming increasingly demanding, the traditional copper-based composite materials can not to meet the increasing requirements. Carbon nanotube (CNT) is a new type of carbon materials with high strength, toughness and Young's modulus, these properties provide a new direction for the production of high-performance composites.The author studied the mechanical properties and the wear performances of copper-based composite reinforced by carbon nanotubes (CNT/Cu composite) , which prepared by powder metallurgy. The main results are:1. To improve the interface performance between the carbon nanotubes and copper matrix, carbon nanotubes coated copper are prepared by chemical plating method.2. The compactness of CNT/Cu composites, prepared by powder metallurgy with optimum process, achieves an average 97%.3. The mechanical properties of CNT/Cu composites were investigated. The results show that 3vol.%CNT/Cu composite performs best. Comparing with pure copper matrix, the HV hardness and tensile strength were raised by 50% and 40% respectively.4. The wear rate of CNT/Cu composites are tested under different load and sliding speeds. The results show that the wear performances of CNT/Cu composites are significantly better than copper matrix. The wear rate of 3vol.%CNT/Cu composite is only 1/4～1/3 of that of copper matrix.5. In addition, the performances of tin bronze-based composite reinforced by carbon nanotubes are also studied very preliminarily. Te results show that it can be the substitute of ZQSn663 bronze.