A method to obtain homogeneously dispersed carbon nanotubes in Al powders for preparing Al/CNTs nanocomposite

Recently carbon nanotubes (CNTs)-reinforced metal matrix composites (MMCs) have attracted increasing attention due to their promising properties. Most research on metallic matrix–CNTs composites (MMCs–CNTs) show that uniform dispersion of CNTs has been by far the most significant challenge in the field of CNTs-reinforced composites. In this research we will present an approach to obtain homogeneously dispersed CNTs in Al powders for preparing Al/CNTs nanocomposite. A novel polyester binder-assisted (PBA) mixing method was used for achieving uniform dispersion of CNTs, and power metallurgy (PM) technique was used for preparing Al/CNTs nanocomposite. The distribution quality of CNTs in Al matrix nanocomposites was also qualified based on image analysis technique. The morphologies, structures and mechanical properties of the Al/CNTs nanocomposite were also investigated in detail by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive x-ray (EDX) spectroscopy, x-ray diffraction (XRD) and mechanical measurement methods. Experimental results show that this method not only achieves good dispersion but it also avoids the damage on structure of CNTs by conventional mixing methods.