Strategies to suppress grain growth of nanocrystalline aluminum

The grain growth behaviors of nanocrystalline aluminum, alloy and composite are compared. First, nanocrystalline aluminum is fabricated by consolidation of ball-milled powder. Second, nanocrystalline aluminum alloy is designed to have elements such as Mn, Zr, and Misch metals, which can form thermally stable second phases at grain boundaries and also drag the movement of grain boundaries. Third, nanocrystalline aluminum-based composites containing multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) are also prepared because MWCNTs are expected to be located at grain boundaries and to suppress the grain growth of nanocrystalline aluminum. These three types of samples are annealed at 550 °C for up to 5 d and the effect of annealing time on Vickers hardness of the samples is compared. As a result, MWCNTs are found to be most effective to impede grain growth of nanocrystalline aluminum.