Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 13, 2026
09:50
Preparation and Reactivity of Gasless Nanostructured Energetic Materials
Published on: April 2, 2015
10.7K
High-Performance Metal/Carbide Composites with Far-From-Equilibrium Compositions and Controlled Microstructures
Liangfa Hu1, Morgan O'Neil2, Veysel Erturun3
1Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA.
Scientific Reports
|October 19, 2016
Summary
New metal-ceramic composites far from thermodynamic equilibrium were fabricated using rapid infiltration. These aluminum alloy/Ti2AlC composites show exceptional strength at ambient and high temperatures.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Metallurgy
- Composite Materials
Background:
- Conventional metal-ceramic composites are limited to compositions near thermodynamic equilibrium.
- Fabricating composites from reactive phases far from equilibrium presents significant processing challenges.
- Aluminum (Al) alloy/Ti2AlC systems are thermodynamically unstable, making them difficult to process using standard methods.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the fabrication of metal-ceramic composites with compositions far from thermodynamic equilibrium.
- To develop a novel method for creating reactive metal-ceramic composites with controlled microstructures and tunable properties.
- To investigate the potential of aluminum alloy/Ti2AlC as a model system for these challenging composites.
Main Methods:
- A current and pressure-assisted, rapid infiltration technique was employed for composite fabrication.
- Ti2AlC foams with varying pore structures were used as preforms for molten aluminum alloy infiltration.
- Microstructural characterization and mechanical property testing (compressive strength) at ambient and elevated temperatures were performed.
Main Results:
- Lightweight aluminum alloy/Ti2AlC composites with controlled microstructures and tunable constituent ratios (40/60 and 27/73) were successfully fabricated.
- Composites exhibited significantly enhanced mechanical properties, with compressive strength 10 times higher than the Al alloy at ambient temperature and 14 times higher at 400°C.
- The method allowed for control over metallic phase sizes, ranging from 42-83 μm to 167-545 μm.
Conclusions:
- The rapid infiltration method is effective for producing metal-ceramic composites from reactive systems far from thermodynamic equilibrium.
- The fabricated aluminum alloy/Ti2AlC composites demonstrate exceptional strength and potential for high-temperature applications.
- Further strategies for property enhancement in these advanced composites were proposed.
