Preparation of W-C-Co Composite Micropowder with Spherical Shaped Particles Using Plasma Technologies

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Powder Metallurgy

Background:

• Tungsten-Carbon-Cobalt (W-C-Co) composites are crucial for hard materials.
• Achieving uniform nanoscale structures in W-C-Co powders presents significant challenges.
• Spherical particle morphology is desirable for improved powder flow and packing density.

Purpose of the Study:

• To experimentally confirm the feasibility of producing W-C-Co composite micropowders with spherical morphology and submicron/nanoscale internal structure.
• To investigate the effects of plasma treatment on the properties of W-C-Co powders.
• To establish relationships between process parameters and powder characteristics.

Main Methods:

• Plasma-chemical synthesis for producing W-C-Co nanopowders (average size ~50 nm).
• Spray drying of nanopowders to form dense microgranules (average size ~40 microns).
• Plasma treatment of microgranules to achieve spherical micropowders (average size ~20 microns).

Main Results:

• Successfully synthesized W-C-Co nanopowders with uniform W, Co, and C distribution.
• Produced dense, spherical W-C-Co micropowders (~20 microns) with a submicron/nanoscale internal structure.
• Established the influence of plasma treatment parameters on powder dispersity, phase composition, chemical composition, and microstructure.

Conclusions:

• The study confirms the possibility of obtaining W-C-Co composite micropowders with desired spherical shape and internal nanoscale structure.
• The developed method yields dense spherical particles without internal cavities.
• Optimized plasma treatment is key to controlling the properties of the final W-C-Co micropowders.