Fabrication of a nanocomposite from in situ iron nanoparticle reinforced copper alloy

In situ iron nanoparticle reinforced Cu-3Sn-8Zn-6Pb alloy has been fabricated by centrifugal casting in a vacuum chamber with a medium frequency electrical furnace. The microstructure of this alloy was analyzed with a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and a high-resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM), and the results show that the grains of Cu-3Sn-8Zn-6Pb alloy without iron have a typical dendrite structure with dimensions from 500 to 1500 microm, and the grains of the alloy with the addition of 1% iron are small and equiaxed, with dimensions from 20 to 60 microm. Then, the relatively uniform dispersed particles in the copper matrix were identified with the HRTEM to be pure iron with dimensions in the order of 2-20 nm. The mechanical properties of the alloys were measured and the results show a significant increase in the tensile strength of the alloy with iron nanoparticles and a slight increase of the elongation compared to that without iron. The mechanism of formation of the iron nanoparticles was analyzed by thermodynamic and dynamic theories, and the results indicate that the in situ iron nanoparticles of Cu-3Sn-8Zn-6Pb alloy can reasonably form during solidification in the centrifugal casting technique.