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A special issue of Metals (ISSN 2075-4701). This special issue belongs to the section "Metal Matrix Composites".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 May 2025 | Viewed by 9607

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Dr. Sónia Simões

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Metallurgical and Materials Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, Oporto University, 4099-002 Porto, Portugal
Interests: metal matrix nanocomposites; nanomaterials; reactive multilayers; microstructural characterization; advanced materials; joining technologies; titanium alloys; diffusion bonding
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Metal Matrix Composites (MMCs) represent promising advanced materials that have garnered significant attention in various industrial sectors due to their exceptional mechanical properties and tailored functionality.

MMC design involves incorporating one or more reinforcing phases, such as ceramic, carbon, or other metallic materials, into a metal matrix. This strategic combination allows engineers to tailor the material's properties to meet specific requirements, including improved strength, stiffness, thermal conductivity, and wear resistance. The selection of reinforcement materials, their volume fraction, and distribution within the matrix are critical factors in optimizing the final composite's performance.

The development of MMCs encompasses several fabrication techniques, including powder metallurgy, in-situ synthesis, and various casting methods. Each method offers unique advantages and challenges, influencing the resulting material's microstructure and properties. Advanced processing technologies, such as high-energy ball milling, spark plasma sintering, and rapid solidification, have enhanced the homogeneity and performance of MMCs.

In this Special Issue, we welcome articles focusing on producing metal matrix composites through processes like powder metallurgy, casting, or additive manufacturing. Microstructural characterization and its relationship with final mechanical properties is also an objective of this Special Issue due to the importance of this knowledge for their implementation. Thus, researchers are invited to propose original investigations involving the recent advances in the design, production, and characterization of metal matrix composites.

Dr. Sónia Simões
Guest Editor

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Keywords

composites
powder metallurgy
casting
additive manufacturing
microstructure
mechanical properties
in-situ synthesis
dispersion techniques

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Published Papers (10 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 5007 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Unveiling High-Pressure Behavior of Sc₃AlC MAX Phase: A Comprehensive Theoretical Study on Structural, Mechanical, Dislocation, and Electronic Properties

by Junping Xi, Zhipeng Wang, Linkun Zhang, Li Ma and Pingying Tang

Metals 2025, 15(5), 492; https://doi.org/10.3390/met15050492 - 27 Apr 2025

Viewed by 119

Abstract

The structural, mechanical, dislocation, and electronic properties of the Sc₃AlC MAX phase under applied pressure are investigated in detail using first-principles calculations. Key parameters, including lattice parameter ratios, elastic constants, Young’s modulus, bulk modulus, shear modulus, brittle-to-ductile behavior, Poisson’s ratio, anisotropy, Cauchy pressure, yield strength, Vickers hardness, and energy factors, are systematically analyzed as a function of applied pressure. The results demonstrate that the Sc₃AlC MAX phase exhibits remarkable mechanical stability within the pressure range of 0 to 60 GPa. Notably, applied pressure markedly improves its mechanical properties, such as resistance to elastic, bulk, and shear deformations. The B/G ratio suggests a tendency toward ductile behavior with increasing pressure, and the negative Cauchy pressure indicates the directional characteristics of interatomic bonding in nature. Vickers hardness and yield strength increase under pressures of 0 to 10 GPa and then decrease sharply above 50 GPa. High pressure suppresses dislocation nucleation due to the increased energy factors, along with twinning deformation. Furthermore, electronic structure analysis confirms that high pressure enhances the interatomic bonding in the Sc₃AlC MAX phase, while the enhancement effect is not substantial. This study offers critical insights for designing MAX phase materials for extreme environments, advancing applications in aerospace and electronics fields. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Design and Development of Metal Matrix Composites)

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22 pages, 9031 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Characterizing the Behavior and Microstructure of Cu-La₂O₃ Composite Processed via Equal Channel Angular Pressing

by Lenka Kunčická and Radim Kocich

Metals 2025, 15(4), 368; https://doi.org/10.3390/met15040368 - 27 Mar 2025

Viewed by 272

Abstract

Cu-based alloys and composites are popular to prepare electroconductive parts. However, their processing can be challenging, especially in case of composites strengthened with oxides. To save the necessary time and costs, numerical simulations can be of help when determining the deformation behaviour of (newly introduced) materials. The study presents a combined method of strengthening of Cu by adding 5 wt.% of La₂O₃ particles and performing shear-based deformation by equal channel angular pressing (ECAP). The effects of the method on the microstructure, mechanical properties, and thermal stability of the composite are examined both numerically and experimentally. The results showed that the La₂O₃ addition caused the maximum imposed strain to be higher for the composite than for commercially pure Cu, which led to the development of subgrains and shear bands within the microstructure, and a consequent increase in microhardness. The numerical predictions revealed that the observed differences could be explained by the differences in the material plastic flow (comparing the composite to commercially pure Cu). The work hardening supported by the addition of La₂O₃ led to a significant increase in stress and punch load during processing, as well as contributed to a slight increase in deformation temperature in the main deformation zone of the ECAP die. Certain inhomogeneity of the parameters of interest across the processed workpiece was observed. Nevertheless, such inhomogeneity is typical for the ECAP process and steps prospectively leading to its elimination are proposed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Design and Development of Metal Matrix Composites)

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21 pages, 12165 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Microscopic Modeling of Interfaces in Cu-Mo Nanocomposites: The Case Study of Nanometric Metallic Multilayers

by Abdelhafid Akarou, Florence Baras and Olivier Politano

Metals 2025, 15(3), 282; https://doi.org/10.3390/met15030282 - 5 Mar 2025

Viewed by 700

Abstract

Nanocomposites composed of Cu and Mo were investigated by means of molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to study the incoherent interface between Cu and Mo. In order to select an appropriate potential capable of accurately describing the Cu-Mo system, five many-body potentials were compared: three Embedded Atom Method (EAM) potentials, a Tight Binding Second Moment Approximation (TB-SMA) potential, and a Modified Embedded Atom Method (MEAM) potential. Among these, the EAM potential proposed by Zhou in 2001 was determined to provide the best compromise for the current study. The simulated system was constructed with two layers of Cu and Mo forming an incoherent fcc-Cu(111)/bcc-Mo(110) interface, based on the Nishiyama–Wassermann (NW) and Kurdjumov–Sachs (KS) orientation relationships (OR). The interfacial energies were calculated for each orientation relationship. The NW configuration emerged as the most stable, with an interfacial energy of 1.83 J/m², compared to 1.97 J/m² for the KS orientation. Subsequent simulations were dedicated to modeling Cu atomic deposition onto a Mo(110) substrate at 300 K. These simulations resulted in the formation of a dense layer with only a few defects in the two Cu planes closest to the interface. The interfacial structures were characterized by computing selected area electron diffraction (SAED) patterns. A direct comparison of theoretical and numerical SAED patterns confirmed the presence of the NW orientation relationship in the nanocomposites formed during deposition, corroborating the results obtained with the model fcc-Cu(111)/bcc-Mo(110) interfaces. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Design and Development of Metal Matrix Composites)

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14 pages, 3644 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Microstructure and Performance of Body-Centered Cubic-Based Dual-Phase Composite Eutectic High-Entropy Alloys Prepared by Si Doping

by Saike Liu, Aoxiang Li, Kaiwen Kang, Jinshan Zhang, Di Huang, Chunning Che, Yiteng Jiang, Mingkun Xu, Borui Zhang, Yaqing Li and Gong Li

Metals 2025, 15(2), 207; https://doi.org/10.3390/met15020207 - 16 Feb 2025

Viewed by 598

Abstract

AlCrFeNi-based high-entropy alloys (HEAs) have emerged as a prominent research system, attracting significant interest due to their compositional diversity and the tunability of their phase structures. However, in practical applications, single-phase AlCrFeNi-based HEAs often face a trade-off between toughness and strength. Therefore, designing multi-phase composite eutectic high-entropy alloys (EHEAs) to optimize their mechanical properties and microstructure has become a key research focus. Si, a common non-metallic element, plays a significant role in strengthening metal materials. In this paper, AlCrFeNi with Si doping strengthening (AlCrFeNi)100-xSix composite EHEAs were successfully fabricated. A systematic analysis was conducted to investigate the impacts of Si doping on the microstructure and mechanical properties of AlCrFeNi-based composite EHEAs. This study shows that with increasing Si content, the biphasic lamellar composite structure at the grain boundaries gradually expands, forming flower petals. The precipitate structure within the grains evolves into flower disks, which form a sunflower-like composite structure in the alloy. The volume fraction of lamellar structures increases in the petals, accompanied by grain refinement. Furthermore, the yield strength of the alloy increases from 1131 MPa to 1360 MPa with increasing Si content. This provides guidance for the design of high-performance composite EHEAs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Design and Development of Metal Matrix Composites)

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16 pages, 6643 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Mechanical Properties and Corrosion Resistance of La₂O₃/A356 Composites Fabricated by Ultrasonic-Assisted Casting

by Hao Wan, Luming Shuai, Lishibao Ling, Zhi Hu and Hong Yan

Metals 2025, 15(2), 184; https://doi.org/10.3390/met15020184 - 11 Feb 2025

Viewed by 503

Abstract

Mechanical properties and corrosion resistance of La₂O₃/A356 composites with different contents of La₂O₃ were investigated by optical microscopy, X-ray diffractometry, scanning electron microscopy, electrochemical tests, and immersion corrosion tests. The results show that the addition of La₂O₃ refined the α-Al phase of the A356 matrix, and the long stripe-like Si phase and β-Al₅FeSi phase were transformed into short rod-like forms. The La₂O₃/A356 composites with 1.0 wt.% La₂O₃ exhibited the most optimal mechanical properties and corrosion resistance. The yield strength, ultimate tensile strength, and elongation of La₂O₃/A356 composites with 1.0 wt.% La₂O₃ were higher than those of the matrix. The results of electrochemical experiments and the immersion corrosion test show that the corrosion potential of La₂O₃/A356 composites with 1.0 wt.% La₂O₃ was 72 mV higher than that of the matrix, the corrosion current density was 84.8% lower than that of the matrix, and the impedance Z was improved by 59.1% compared to the matrix. The addition of La₂O₃ improved the mechanical properties of the A356 matrix by refining the grains, inhibiting the nucleation of eutectic Si, and promoting the twinning growth mechanism. Moreover, the effect of La₂O₃ on the micro-galvanic corrosion behavior of A356 was discussed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Design and Development of Metal Matrix Composites)

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15 pages, 11415 KiB

Open AccessArticle

In Situ Synthesis of MoSi₂-SiC Composites by Two-Step Spark Plasma Sintering

by Yue-Yao Wang and Guo-Hua Zhang

Metals 2025, 15(2), 144; https://doi.org/10.3390/met15020144 - 30 Jan 2025

Viewed by 749

Abstract

The effect of different SiC doping content on the properties of MoSi₂-based composites was analyzed in this study. The MoSi₂-SiC composites were fabricated in situ by the SPS technique, utilizing self-synthesized carbon-containing Mo powder and Si powder as raw materials. A two-step sintering process was employed to ensure the formation of a uniform and dense composite structure. The microstructures and mechanical properties of these composites with various compositions were characterized. The results show that the composites were primarily composed of MoSi₂, SiC, and a minor proportion of MoSiC phase. The introduction of SiC as a second phase was found to considerably enhance the mechanical properties of the MoSi₂ matrix material. In particular, the MoSi₂-26mol.%SiC sample exhibited Vickers hardness, fracture toughness, and flexural strength values of 16.1 GPa, 6.7 MPa·m^1/2, and 496 MPa, respectively, corresponding to increases of 33%, 24%, and 28% compared to the pure MoSi₂ material. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Design and Development of Metal Matrix Composites)

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23 pages, 14649 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Microstructure, Mechanical, and Tribological Behaviour of Spark Plasma Sintered TiN, TiC, TiCN, TaN, and NbN Ceramic Coatings on Titanium Substrate

by Ganesh Walunj, Amit Choudhari, Satyavan Digole, Anthony Bearden, Omar Kolt, Praful Bari and Tushar Borkar

Metals 2024, 14(12), 1437; https://doi.org/10.3390/met14121437 - 14 Dec 2024

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1065

Abstract

Titanium (Ti) is widely used in structural, maritime, aerospace, and biomedical applications because of its outstanding strength-to-weight ratio, superior corrosion resistance, and excellent biocompatibility. However, the lower surface hardness and inferior wear resistance of the Ti and Ti alloys limit their industrial applications. Coating Ti surfaces can initiate new possibilities to give unique characteristics with significant improvement in the Ti component’s functionality. The current research designed and synthesized titanium nitride (TiN), titanium carbide (TiC), titanium carbonitride (TiCN), tantalum nitride (TaN), and niobium nitride (NbN) ceramic coating layers (400 µm) over a Ti substrate using a spark plasma sintering process (SPS). The coatings on the Ti substrate were compact and consolidated at an SPS temperature of 1500 °C, pressure of 50 MPa, and 5 min of holding time in a controlled argon atmosphere. Microstructure investigation revealed a defect-less coating-substrate interface formation with a transition/diffusion zone ranging from 10 µm to 20 µm. Among all of the ceramic coatings, titanium carbide showed the highest improvement in surface hardness, equal to 1817 ± 25 HV, and the lowest coefficient of friction, equal to 0.28 for NbN. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Design and Development of Metal Matrix Composites)

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16 pages, 22116 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Microstructure Development of Powder-Based Cu Composite During High Shear Strain Processing

by Lenka Kunčická, Josef Walek and Radim Kocich

Metals 2024, 14(12), 1331; https://doi.org/10.3390/met14121331 - 24 Nov 2024

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 852

Abstract

Commercially pure Cu features excellent electric conductivity but low mechanical properties. In order to improve the mechanical properties of Cu, strengthening elements can be added to prepare alloys or composites featuring enhanced performances. This study focuses on the detailed characterization of the microstructure of a Cu composite strengthened with Al₂O₃ particles during high shear strain processing. The Cu-Al₂O₃ mixture was prepared by powder metallurgy and directly consolidated by the intensive plastic deformation method of hot rotary swaging. Samples cut from the consolidated piece were further processed by the severe plastic deformation method of high pressure torsion (HPT). The primary aim was to investigate the effects of varying degrees of the imposed shear strain, i.e., the number of HPT revolutions, microstructure development (grain size and morphology, texture, grain misorientations, etc.) of the consolidated composite; the microstructure observations were supplemented with measurements of Vickers microhardness. The results showed that the added oxide particles effectively hindered the movement of dislocations and aggravated grain fragmentation, which also led to the relatively high presence of grain misorientations pointing to the occurrence of residual stress within the microstructure. The high shear strain imposed into (the peripheral region of) the sample subjected to four HPT revolutions imparted equiaxed ultra-fine grains and an average Vickers microhardness of more than 130 HV0.1. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Design and Development of Metal Matrix Composites)

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21 pages, 19685 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Production and Characterization of Hybrid Al6061 Nanocomposites

by Beatriz Monteiro and Sónia Simões

Metals 2024, 14(11), 1206; https://doi.org/10.3390/met14111206 - 23 Oct 2024

Viewed by 3029

Abstract

Aluminum-based hybrid nanocomposites, namely the Al6061 alloy, have gained prominence in the scientific community due to their unique properties, such as high strength, low density, and good corrosion resistance. The production of these nanocomposites involves incorporating reinforcing nanoparticles into the matrix to improve its mechanical and thermal properties. The Al6061 hybrid nanocomposites were manufactured by conventional powder metallurgy (cold pressing and sintering). Ceramic silicon carbide (SiC) nanoparticles and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were used as reinforcements. The nanocomposites were produced using different reinforcement amounts (0.50, 0.75, 1.00, and 1.50 wt.%) and sintered from 540 to 620 °C for 120 min. The characterization of the Al6061 hybrid nanocomposites involved the analysis of their mechanical properties, such as hardness and tensile strength, as well as their micro- and nanometric structures. Techniques such as optical microscopy (OM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) were used to study the distribution of nanoparticles, the grain size of the microstructure, and the presence of defects in the matrix. The microstructural evaluation revealed significant grain refinement and greater homogeneity in the hybrid nanocomposites reinforced with 0.75 wt.% of SiC and CNTs, resulting in better mechanical performance. Tensile tests showed that the Al6061/CNT/SiC hybrid composite had the highest tensile strength of 104 MPa, compared to 63 MPa for the unreinforced Al6061 matrix. The results showed that adding 0.75% SiC nanoparticles and CNTs can significantly improve the properties of Al6061 (65% in the tensile strength). However, some nanoparticle agglomeration remains one of the challenges in manufacturing these nanocomposites; therefore, the expected increase in mechanical properties is not observed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Design and Development of Metal Matrix Composites)

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13 pages, 4243 KiB

Open AccessArticle

An Insight into the Varying Effects of Different Cryogenic Temperatures on the Microstructure and the Thermal and Compressive Response of a Mg/SiO₂ Nanocomposite

by Michael Johanes, Sarah Mehtabuddin, Vishal Venkatarangan and Manoj Gupta

Metals 2024, 14(7), 808; https://doi.org/10.3390/met14070808 - 11 Jul 2024

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1010

Abstract

This study for the first time reports that insights into microstructure and thermal and compressive responses can be best achieved following exposure to different cryogenic temperatures and that the lowest cryogenic temperature may not always produce the best results. In the present study, a Mg-SiO₂ biocompatible and environment-friendly nanocomposite was synthesized by using the Disintegrated Melt Deposition method followed by hot extrusion. Subsequently, it was subjected to four different sub-zero temperatures (−20 °C, −50 °C, −80 °C, and −196 °C). The results reveal the best densification at −80 °C, marginally improved ignition resistance at 50 °C, the best damping response at −80 °C, the best microhardness at −50 °C, and the best compressive response at −20 °C. The results clearly indicate that the cryogenic temperature should be carefully chosen depending on the property that needs to be particularly enhanced governed by the principal requirement of the end application. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Design and Development of Metal Matrix Composites)

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