A comparison of mechanical and wear properties of plasma sprayed carbon nanotube reinforced aluminum composites at nano and macro scale

► 39% improvement in the elastic modulus on CNT addition to Al matrix at nano-scale. ► No improvement in the elastic modulus of CNT reinforced Al at macro-scale. ► 71% improvement in nano-scale wear on 10 wt.% CNTs addition to Al matrix. ► Macro-scale wear of Al-10 wt.% CNT composite shows poor wear resistance. ► Bimodal CNT dispersion, CNT cluster size and carbide formation are responsible.