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Fabrication of homogeneously dispersed graphene/Al composites by solution mixing and powder metallurgy

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Abstract

Graphene-reinforced aluminum (Al) matrix composites were successfully prepared via solution mixing and powder metallurgy in this study. The mechanical properties of the composites were studied using microhardness and tensile tests. Compared to the pure Al alloy, the graphene/Al composites showed increased strength and hardness. A tensile strength of 255 MPa was achieved for the graphene/Al composite with only 0.3wt% graphene, which has a 25% increase over the tensile strength of the pure Al matrix. Raman spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy were used to investigate the morphologies, chemical compositions, and microstructures of the graphene and the graphene/Al composites. On the basis of fractographic evidence, a relevant fracture mechanism is proposed.

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Acknowledgements

This work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 51574118, 51571087, 51674292), the Natural Science Foundation of Hunan Province (No. 2015JJ4017), the Project of Innovation- driven Plan in Central South University (No. 2016CX007), and the Hunan Provincial Science and Technology Plan Project, China (No. 2016TP1007).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Materials Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha, 410082, China

    Xiang Zeng, Jie Teng, Ao-shuang Tan, Ding-fa Fu & Hui Zhang

  2. College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Efficient and Clean Utilization of Manganese Resources, Central South University, Changsha, 410083, China

    Jin-gang Yu

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  1. Xiang Zeng
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  2. Jie Teng
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  3. Jin-gang Yu
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  4. Ao-shuang Tan
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  5. Ding-fa Fu
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Correspondence to Jie Teng or Jin-gang Yu.

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Zeng, X., Teng, J., Yu, Jg. et al. Fabrication of homogeneously dispersed graphene/Al composites by solution mixing and powder metallurgy. Int J Miner Metall Mater 25, 102–109 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12613-018-1552-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12613-018-1552-4

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