Experimental Evaluation of the Use of Yttria Ceramic Particles to Enhance the Thermal, Corrosion, and Electrical Properties of Sintered AA7075/Graphene Nanocomposites

Aluminum alloy is utilized in various engineering applications due to its low density, corrosion resistance, and formability. The reinforcements in the form of fibers or particles added to the aluminum alloy AA7075 are found to enhance its thermal and corrosion resistance characteristics. In this direction, this work makes a first attempt to investigate the influence of reinforcing yttria (Y₂O₃) particles and graphene to AA7075 on the thermal and corrosion characteristics. The hard Y₂O₃ particles and graphene have good corrosion resistance capability. Using the powder metallurgy technique, the aluminum hybrid metal matrix nanocomposites (HMMNCs) are prepared by adding 0.5 weight percentage (wt.%) graphene and varying concentrations (1, 1.5, 2, and 2.5 wt.%) of Y₂O₃ nanoparticles to AA7075 matrix. Several characterization studies, such as microstructural analysis, FTIR analysis, and electrical, were carried out on AA7075-HMMNCs. Meanwhile, the corrosion resistance behavior of HMMNCs is analyzed. The experimental study reveals superior corrosion resistance properties for AA7075 + 0.5 wt.% graphene + 2.5 wt.% Y₂O₃, making it apt for corrosion resistance applications. The microstructure studies reveal the uniform dispersion of graphene and Y₂O₃ nano reinforcement in the AA7075 matrix. However, the higher percentage of Y₂O₃ particles leads to poorer electrical conductivity.