Effect of Electroless Cu Plating Ti₃AlC₂ Particles on Microstructure and Properties of Gd₂O₃/Cu Composites

Ti₃AlC₂ presents a hexagonal layered crystal structure and bridges the gap between metallic and ceramic properties, and Gadolinia (Gd₂O₃) has excellent thermodynamic stability, which make them potentially attractive as dispersive phases for Cu matrix composites. In this paper, Cu@Ti₃AlC₂-Gd₂O₃/Cu composites, Ti₃AlC₂-Gd₂O₃/Cu composites, and Gd₂O₃/Cu composites were prepared by electroless Cu plating, internal oxidation, and vacuum hot press sintering. The microstructure and the effect of the Cu plating on the properties of the Cu@Ti₃AlC₂-Gd₂O₃/Cu composites were discussed. The results showed that a Cu plating with a thickness of about 0.67 μm was successfully plated onto the surface of Ti₃AlC₂ particles. The ex situ Ti₃AlC₂ particles were distributed at the Cu grain boundary, while the in situ Gd₂O₃ particles with a grain size of 20 nm were dispersed in the Cu grains. The electroless Cu plating onto the surface of the Ti₃AlC₂ particles effectively reduces their surfactivity and improves the surface contacting state between the Cu@Ti₃AlC₂ particles and the Cu matrix, and reduces electron scattering, so that the tensile strength reached 378.9 MPa, meanwhile, the electrical conductivity and elongation of the Cu matrix composites was maintained at 93.6 IACS% and 17.6%.