W-Cu composite materials are widely used in civilian industries and aerospace fields owing to their integrated properties of high hardness, wear and arc resistance, electrical and thermal conductivities, and low coefficient of thermal expansion. The recently developed submicron-and nanostructured W-Cu composites exhibit superior performance compared to their conventional coarse-grained counterparts and are expected to further expand applications of this group of materials. This review is focused on recent important progress in the preparation, characterization, and mechanical and physical properties of W-Cu composites with refined structures. We summarize the technologies that are capable of refining component structures and evaluate their advantages and limitations. Furthermore, the effects of component refinement and additives such as alloying elements and dispersed particles on the comprehensive performance of W-Cu composites are demonstrated. At the end of the review, we propose potential research issues and directions worthy of attention for the future development of W-Cu composites.

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Hierarchical nanostructured W-Cu composite with an average W size below 200 nm and nanocrystalline structure inside the W phase was obtained by refining the inner structure of the initial ultrafine powders combined with high-pressure spark plasma sintering. It revealed that an atomic scale combination can be formed at both the W grain boundaries and W/Cu interfaces. Accordingly, the nanostructured W-Cu composite exhibits twofold hardness and greatly improved wear resistance with satisfactory electrical conductivity, as compared to those of their fine grain structured counterparts. The upgraded wear resistance is attributed to the restricted micro-plowing and the mechanically mixed layer, induced by a refined microstructure, intrinsic high hardness, and the composition modulation on the wear surface.

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