Manufacturing of Al and Mg nanocomposite microparticles

Lightweight high-performance metallic powders have great potentials for applications in metal-based additive manufacturing. To enhance their mechanical performance and extend their potentials in addictive manufacturing, ceramic nanoparticles are now incorporated into metal matrix microparticles. However, successful incorporation of high volume percentage nanoparticles and related scalable processing methods have not been developed yet. Here we show an effective manufacturing approach to produce aluminum (Al) and magnesium (Mg) nanocomposite microparticles with densely-packed titanium diboride and titanium carbide nanoparticles. Through a flux-assisted solidification processing method, up to 30 vol% of the nanoparticles were efficiently self-incorporated and self-dispersed into Al and Mg microparticles.