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Article

Spark Plasma Sintering of Aluminum-Based Powders Reinforced with Carbon Nanotubes: Investigation of Electrical Conductivity and Hardness Properties

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Department of Mechanical Engineering and Advanced Materials, School of Engineering and Sciences, Tecnologico de Monterrey Av. Eugenio Garza Sada Sur 2501, Monterrey 64849, Nuevo León, Mexico
2
Research and Development Department, Siemens, Libramiento Arco Vial Poniente Km 4.2, Santa Catarina 66350, Nuevo León, Mexico
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Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Materials 2021, 14(2), 373; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14020373
Received: 11 December 2020 / Revised: 2 January 2021 / Accepted: 11 January 2021 / Published: 14 January 2021
This paper focuses on reporting results obtained by the spark plasma sintering (SPS) consolidation and characterization of aluminum-based nanocomposites reinforced with concentrations of 0.5 wt%, 1 wt% and 2 wt% of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). Experimental characterization performed by SEM shows uniform carbon nanotube (CNT) dispersion as well as carbon clusters located in the grain boundary of the Al matrix. The structural analysis and crystallite size calculation were performed by X-ray diffraction tests, detecting the characteristic CNT diffraction peak only for the composites reinforced with MWCNTs. Furthermore, a considerable increment in the crystallite size value for those Al samples reinforced and sintered with 1 wt% of CNTs was observed. Hardness tests show an improvement in the composite surface hardness of about 11% and 18% for those samples reinforced with 2 wt% of SWNCTs and MWCNTs, respectively. Conductivity measurements show that the Al samples reinforced with 2 wt% of MWCNTs and with 0.5 wt% SWCNTs reach the highest IACS values of 50% and 34%, respectively. View Full-Text
Keywords: multi-walled carbon nanotubes; single-walled carbon nanotubes; spark plasma sintering (SPS); electrical conductivity; aluminum powders; sample hardness multi-walled carbon nanotubes; single-walled carbon nanotubes; spark plasma sintering (SPS); electrical conductivity; aluminum powders; sample hardness
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MDPI and ACS Style

Ulloa-Castillo, N.A.; Martínez-Romero, O.; Hernandez-Maya, R.; Segura-Cárdenas, E.; Elías-Zúñiga, A. Spark Plasma Sintering of Aluminum-Based Powders Reinforced with Carbon Nanotubes: Investigation of Electrical Conductivity and Hardness Properties. Materials 2021, 14, 373. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14020373

AMA Style

Ulloa-Castillo NA, Martínez-Romero O, Hernandez-Maya R, Segura-Cárdenas E, Elías-Zúñiga A. Spark Plasma Sintering of Aluminum-Based Powders Reinforced with Carbon Nanotubes: Investigation of Electrical Conductivity and Hardness Properties. Materials. 2021; 14(2):373. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14020373

Chicago/Turabian Style

Ulloa-Castillo, Nicolás A., Oscar Martínez-Romero, Roberto Hernandez-Maya, Emmanuel Segura-Cárdenas, and Alex Elías-Zúñiga. 2021. "Spark Plasma Sintering of Aluminum-Based Powders Reinforced with Carbon Nanotubes: Investigation of Electrical Conductivity and Hardness Properties" Materials 14, no. 2: 373. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14020373

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