Synthesis of uniformly dispersed carbon nanotube reinforcement in Al powder for preparing reinforced Al composites

In order to obtain homogeneously dispersed carbon nanotube (CNT) reinforcement with well structure in Al powder, a novel and simple approach was developed as a means of overcoming the limits of traditional mixing methods. This process involves the even deposition of Ni catalyst onto the surface of Al powder by impregnation route with a low Ni content (0.5 wt.%) and in situ synthesis of CNTs in Al powder by chemical vapor deposition. The in situ synthesized CNTs with well-crystallized bamboo-like structure in the composite powders can obviate the reaction with Al below 1000 °C. The feasibility of fabricating CNT/Al composites with high mechanical properties using the as-prepared composite powders was proved by our primary test, which indicated that the compressive yield stress and elastic modulus of 1.5 wt.%-CNT/Al composites synthesized by hot extrusion are 2.2 and 3.0 times as large as that of the pure Al matrix.