Particulate metal matrix composites development on the basis of in situ synthesis of TiC reinforcing nanoparticles during mechanical alloying

Abstract The in situ synthesis of titanium carbide reinforcing nanoparticles from nanodiamond precursors inside an aluminum or a copper matrix is developed in the frame of the present study. The starting materials for the synthesis were commercially available powders of aluminum or copper for matrix formation and titanium and nanodiamond powders as the precursors for TiC synthesis. Synthesis was executed during the process of mechanical alloying to form the composite granules. An investigation showed that the developed material was composed of a metal matrix and titanium carbide nanoreinforcements with an average size of approximately 22–23 nm. No reaction occurred between the matrix and the reinforcing particles at temperatures up to 900 °C for copper and 750 °C for aluminum. The developed aluminum composite can be applied as a master alloy for casting technologies.