Electroless nickel coated short carbon fibres in aluminium matrix composites

Electroless nickel coated fibres have been used as reinforcement for the fabrication of aluminium matrix composites by liquid processing. Uniform, continuous and well-adhered nickel coatings are obtained with different phosphorus contents. Coated carbon fibres were mixed with AA6061 aluminium powders, compacted and heated at temperatures from 650 to 950 °C to study the reactivity, the nickel diffusion, and the resulting interfaces. Coatings improve the wetting behaviour of carbon fibres by molten aluminium because of the formation of a transient Al–Ni intermetallic at the matrix–fibre interface, limiting fibre segregation to obtain a homogeneous reinforcement distribution. Finally, the mechanical properties of the composite have been measured through nanoindentation tests.