Metal Matrix Composites Reinforced with Carbon Nanomaterials

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2024) | Viewed by 4876

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Peloponnese, Tripoli 221 00, Greece
Interests: structural analysis; fracture mechanics; contact mechanics; computational methods; materials science; nanotechnology
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The discovery and development of a variety of carbon-based nanomaterials such as graphene, graphite nanoplatelets, graphynes, graphdyines, fullerenes, fullerites, carbon nanotubes (CNT), cyclocarbons, carbon nanobuds, schwarzites, etc., has opened a new area and perspectives for organic materials science. All these carbon allotropes have demonstrated significant compatibility with polymeric media and, therefore, have thoroughly been tested as reinforcing agents and fillers within almost every kind of polymer and plastic matrices.

Today, there are many challenges in taking advantage of the exceptional mechanical and physical properties of these organic nanomaterials when combining them with metals and alloys. This mixing of organic and metallic materials leads to the introduction of an emerging class of composites that may provide enhanced strength, electrical properties, and other interesting characteristics.

Therefore, the aim of this Special Issue is to provide novel knowledge towards contributing to the effort of expanding the potential use of carbon nanomaterials in metal technology and industry. Special attention is given to manufacturing carbon nanomaterial–metal composites of enhanced mechanical properties and structural integrity.

This Special Issue aims to include all relevant theoretical, numerical, and experimental research or review articles which may address or discuss the following issues regarding metal–carbon nanomaterial composites (MCNC):

  • Structural properties and integrity;
  • Mechanical properties and behavior (regarding the elastic, plastic, fracture, impact, buckling, friction, wear, etc., response);
  • Interface characterization and improvement;
  • Synthesis and processing techniques;
  • Powder metallurgy;
  • Additive manufacturing;
  • 3D printing;
  • Fabrication control via artificial intelligence, machine learning, and other optimization methods;
  • Components design and optimization;
  • Lightweight alloys;
  • Structural applications;
  • Dispersion techniques of carbon allotropes in metallic systems;
  • Corrosion resistance.

I look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Georgios I. Giannopoulos
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • nanostructured materials
  • nanocomposite
  • properties
  • manufacturing
  • simulation
  • nanomaterial
  • nanostructures
  • nanoparticle
  • nanosheet
  • carbon
  • graphene
  • carbon
  • nanotube
  • fullerene
  • nanotechnology
  • synthesis
  • powder metallurgy technique
  • sintering
  • additive manufacturing
  • 3D printing
  • optimization
  • metal–organic framework
  • mechanical behavior
  • crystal structure
  • crystalline material
  • X-ray diffraction
  • transmission electron microscopy
  • scanning electron microscopy
  • mass spectrometry
  • density functional theory
  • molecular dynamics
  • molecular mechanics
  • finite element method

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 7854 KiB  
Article
Synthesis of TiCx/Al Composites via In Situ Reaction between AlxTi Melt and Dissolvable Solid Carbon
by Lei Guo, Hao Sun and Zhancheng Guo
Metals 2024, 14(4), 379; https://doi.org/10.3390/met14040379 - 24 Mar 2024
Viewed by 1169
Abstract
TiCx/Al composites were successfully prepared in this study by dissolving graphite particles in Al-Ti melt based on the principle of a solid–liquid in situ reaction. It was observed that the microstructure of the TiCx/Al composites changed with changes in [...] Read more.
TiCx/Al composites were successfully prepared in this study by dissolving graphite particles in Al-Ti melt based on the principle of a solid–liquid in situ reaction. It was observed that the microstructure of the TiCx/Al composites changed with changes in the reaction temperature and graphite particle size. With an increase in reaction temperature, the TiCx particles in the TiCx/Al composites transitioned from a spider-like distribution to being evenly dispersed in the Al matrix. Additionally, the morphology of the TiCx particles changed from polygons of various sizes to quasi-spherical shapes with a uniform particle size, while the presence of Al4C3 and Al3Ti in the matrix diminished. The size variation of the graphite particles had minimal impact on the particle size and stoichiometric ratio of TiCx generated in the sample. Furthermore, an appropriate graphite particle size was found to mitigate the agglomeration and residue of graphite particles during the in situ reaction. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Metal Matrix Composites Reinforced with Carbon Nanomaterials)
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25 pages, 23809 KiB  
Article
Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Copper/Graphene Composites Fabricated via Accumulative Roll Bonding and Heat Treatment without a Controlled Atmosphere
by Ricardo Aparecido da Cruz, Anibal de Andrade Mendes Filho, Silvano Leal dos Santos, Vinícius Torres dos Santos, Márcio Rodrigues da Silva, Flávia Gonçalves Lobo, Givanildo Alves dos Santos and Antonio Augusto Couto
Metals 2024, 14(1), 4; https://doi.org/10.3390/met14010004 - 19 Dec 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1843
Abstract
Copper and its alloys are structural materials used in industries and engineering applications due to their excellent thermal and electrical conductivity and chemical stability. Integrating graphene, known for its exceptional electrical conductivity, into the copper matrix is a promising strategy to enhance mechanical [...] Read more.
Copper and its alloys are structural materials used in industries and engineering applications due to their excellent thermal and electrical conductivity and chemical stability. Integrating graphene, known for its exceptional electrical conductivity, into the copper matrix is a promising strategy to enhance mechanical properties without sacrificing electrical conductivity. The Accumulative Roll Bonding (ARB) process can effectively and homogeneously introduce graphene into the metal matrix and is adaptable to an industrial scale. This study investigates the impact of varying graphene concentrations and two heat treatment protocols (without a controlled atmosphere) on the mechanical and electrical properties of ARBed copper/graphene composites. Optical microscopy revealed minimal voids and graphene clumps, and the energy dispersive spectroscopy analysis revealed the absence of copper oxide in some samples. The conductivity test showed little influence of the graphene content and stress relief heat treatment temperature on electrical conductivity (~86% of the International Annealed Copper Standard) within a limited number of ARB cycles. The tensile tests did not reveal a significant influence of the graphene content and stress relief heat treatment temperature on the ultimate tensile strength (220–420 MPa) and elongation (~2%). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Metal Matrix Composites Reinforced with Carbon Nanomaterials)
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17 pages, 8958 KiB  
Article
Carbon Nano-Onions as Nanofillers for Enhancing the Damping Capacity of Titanium and Fiber-Reinforced Titanium: A Numerical Investigation
by Georgios I. Giannopoulos and Nikolaos D. Batsoulas
Metals 2023, 13(9), 1577; https://doi.org/10.3390/met13091577 - 9 Sep 2023
Viewed by 1013
Abstract
Improving the damping capacity of metal matrix composites is crucial, especially for applications in the aerospace industry where reliable performance against vibrations and shocks is mandatory. The main objective of the present study is the numerical prediction of the damping behavior of alpha [...] Read more.
Improving the damping capacity of metal matrix composites is crucial, especially for applications in the aerospace industry where reliable performance against vibrations and shocks is mandatory. The main objective of the present study is the numerical prediction of the damping behavior of alpha titanium matrix nanocomposites reinforced with hollow carbon nano-onions at various volume fractions. According to the proposed numerical scheme, a structural transient analysis is implemented using the implicit finite element method (FEM). The metal matrix nanocomposites are modeled via the utilization of appropriate representative volume elements. To estimate the mechanical and damping behavior of the nanocomposite representative volume elements, axial sinusoidally time-varying loads are applied to them. The damping capacity of the metal matrix nanocomposites is then estimated by the arisen loss factor, or equivalently the tan delta, which is computed by the time delay between the input stress and output strain. The analysis shows that the loss factor of alpha titanium may be improved up to 60% at 100 Hz by adding 5 wt% carbon nano-onions. The numerical outcome regarding the dynamic properties of the carbon nano-onions/alpha titanium nanocomposites is used in a second-level analysis to numerically predict their damping performance when they are additionally reinforced with unidirectional carbon fibers, using corresponding representative volume elements and time-varying loadings along the effective direction. Good agreement between the proposed computational and other experimental predictions are observed regarding the stiffness behavior of the investigated metal matrix nanocomposites with respect to the mass fraction of the carbon-onion nanofillers in the titanium matrix. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Metal Matrix Composites Reinforced with Carbon Nanomaterials)
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