Excellent wear resistance of multicomponent nanocrystalline W‒Cu based composite

Abstract An in-situ reaction strategy to synthesize W‒Cu based nanocomposite co-doped with Cr and WC was proposed, and the resultant multicomponent nanocrystalline bulk has a homogeneous distribution of various phases. As compared to the conventional coarse-grained W‒Cu composite, the prepared nanocrystalline W‒Cu based composite exhibits fourfold hardness and twofold wear resistance. The enhancement of the wear resistance is attributed to the restricted formation and delamination of the mechanically mixed layer and the increased strain gradient induced by the hard phases on the worn surface. The formation of the refined nanostructure with well-aligned crystallographic orientation relationship results in significant hardening of the worn surface. The present work opens up new opportunities to achieve superior hardness and wear resistance of metal matrix composites based on design and fabrication of multicomponent nanostructures.