Microstructure and mechanical properties of Mg-4.0Zn alloy reinforced by NiO-coated CNTs

doi:10.1016/j.jmst.2016.07.022

Abstract

Abstract:

Mg-4.0Zn alloy composite reinforced by NiO-coated CNTs (NiO@CNTs) was synthesized by combining ball-milling and a casting process. The yield strength (YS) and elongation to failure of the composite were dramatically increased by 44.9% and 38.6%, respectively, compared to its alloy counterpart. The significantly enhanced mechanical properties of the as-synthesized composite are mainly ascribed to an improved interfacial bond, grain refinement and good dispersion of CNTs in the matrix via. coating NiO on CNTs. It is shown that the NiO-nanolayer on the CNTs significantly enhances the interfacial bonding strength and effectively prevents the agglomeration of CNTs. NiO@CNTs are, therefore, expected to be a highly sustainable and dispersible reinforcement for magnesium matrix composites with superior performance.

Key words: Magnesium alloy, Carbon nanotubes, NiO, Composites, Mechanical properties

Yuan Qiuhong, Zeng Xiaoshu, Wang Yanchun, Luo Lan, Ding Yan, Li Dejiang, Liu Yong. Microstructure and mechanical properties of Mg-4.0Zn alloy reinforced by NiO-coated CNTs[J]. J. Mater. Sci. Technol., 2017, 33(5): 452-460.

Figures/Tables 8

Fig. 1. Preparation and characterization of NiO@CNTs: (a) schematic illustration, (b) FT-IR, (c) XRD.

Fig. 2. SEM images of Zn-CNTs powders with ball-milling (a), fracture surface of Zn-CNTs block (b), Zn-NiO@CNTs powders with ball-milling (c), and fracture surface of Zn-NiO@CNTs block (d). Images (a) and (c) show the high magnification image of the corresponding region marked by the white rectangle in the top inset, respectively. The down inset in (c) shows the EDS results of region A. The inset in (d) shows the photograph of a NiO@CNTs block sample.

Fig. 3. Microstructure and XRD patterns of Mg-4.0Zn alloy and composites with CNTs and NiO@CNTs: (a) Mg-4.0Zn alloy, (b) Mg-4.0Zn-1.0CNTs, (c) Mg-4.0Zn-1.0 NiO@CNTs, and (d) XRD patterns. The average grain size is also provided in the inset.

Table 1 Mechanical properties of Mg-4.0Zn alloy and its composites.

Composites	UTS (MPa)	YS (MPa)	Elongation (%)	Ref.
Mg-4.0Zn	159 ± 4	98 ± 1	5.7 ± 0.2	This work
Mg-4.0Zn-1.0CNTs	176 ± 5	105 ± 1.5	6.8 ± 0.3	This work
Mg-4.0Zn-1.0NiO@CNTs	212 ± 3.5	142 ± 2	7.9 ± 0.4	This work
Mg-0.3Ni@CNTs	237 ± 1	206 ± 2	6.4 ± 0.3	[10]
Mg-1.0vol.%MgO	223 ± 8	169 ± 8	3.0 ± 1	[25]
AZ91-1.0MgO@CNTs	260 ± 4.2	190 ± 3.6	7.6 ± 0.1	[26]

Fig. 4. TEM images of Mg-4.0Zn-1.0NiO@CNTs composite: (a) low-magnification, (b) high- magnification.

Fig. 5. Mechanical properties of the composites: (a) tensile stress-strain curves, (b) tensile properties.

Fig. 6. Comparison of the strengthening mechanisms and their theoretical contribution to the improvement in YS of the Mg-4Zn-CNTs composites vs. the volume fraction of CNTs, and the experimental YS of Mg-4.0Zn-1.0CNTs and Mg-4.0Zn-1.0 NiO@CNTs composite.

Fig. 7. SEM images of the fracture surfaces of Mg-4.0Zn alloy (a), Mg-4.0Zn-1.0CNTs (b-c), and Mg-4.0Zn-1.0NiO@CNTs composite (d-e). (c) is the magnified image of the region marked by a white rectangle in (b).

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