Fabrication of Titanium and Copper-Coated Diamond/Copper Composites via Selective Laser Melting

Abstract

The poor wettability and weak interfacial bonding of diamond/copper composites are due to the incompatibility between diamond and copper which are inorganic nonmetallic and metallic material, respectively, which limit their further application in next-generation heat management materials. Coating copper and titanium on the diamond particle surface could effectively modify and improve the wettability of the diamond/copper interface via electroless plating and evaporation methods, respectively. Here, these dense and complex composites were successfully three-dimensionally printed via selective laser melting. A high thermal conductivity (TC, 336 W/mK) was produced by 3D printing 1 vol.% copper-coated diamond/copper mixed powders at an energy density of 300 J/mm3 (laser power = 180 W and scanning rate = 200 mm/s). 1 and 3 vol.% copper-coated diamond/copper composites had lower coefficients of thermal expansions and higher TCs. They also had stronger bending strengths than the corresponding titanium-coated diamond/copper composites. The interface between copper matrix and diamond reinforcement was well bonded, and there was no cracking in the 1 vol.% copper-coated diamond/copper composite sample. The optimization of the printing parameters and strategy herein is beneficial to develop new approaches for the further construction of a wider range of micro-sized diamond particles reinforced metal matrix composites.

The Use of Sacrificial Graphite-like Coating to Improve Fusion Efficiency of Copper in Selective Laser Melting

“…Considering that 1200 W is enough to get a continuous fusion when carbon is present, the reduction in the power laser reaches 40% to fuse copper in this experimental series. When it comes to the literature comparison, this reduction can be much more expressive since densities such as 100 kW/mm 2 are rarely obtained for Cu or Cu alloys [ 18 , 35 ].…”

“…The main drawback when adding carbon to copper is its segregation generating pores and cracks in the final metal part [ 15 , 16 , 17 ]. Preliminary studies have shown reduced copper reflectance when using polymeric materials as an absorbing layer [ 13 , 18 ]. In addition, using a multilayer stack of several graded metal-carbon layers followed by an amorphous carbon film produces excellent selective solar absorbers [ 19 ].…”

Editorial for the Special Issue on Laser Additive Manufacturing: Design, Processes, Materials and Applications

“…This Special Issue article covers a wide range of forming materials, including steel [1,9] and other iron-based alloys [11], magnesium alloys [3], titanium alloys [6,12], copper alloys [7], aluminum alloys [13], composites (e.g., CF/PA12 [4], copper/titanium-coated diamond [14]) and, in particular, metallic multi-materials (e.g., NiTi/CuSn10 [2], copper/steel [7]) and 4D-printing materials (e.g., NiTi shape memory alloys [2,15], smart materials for soft interactive hydrogel [5]). et al [12] investigated types of Ti-6Al-4V (TC4) materials with different porosities fabricated via L-PBF using different printing parameters.…”

“…Zhang et al [14] used the L-PBF technique to fabricate titanium-and copper-coated diamond/copper composites. The microstructure, roughness, interface bonding, thermal and mechanical performance were studied.…”

A Review of Spatter in Laser Powder Bed Fusion Additive Manufacturing: In Situ Detection, Generation, Effects, and Countermeasures

“…AM technology emerged in the 1990s and has been under development for approximately three decades [8]. Unlike "subtractive manufacturing" (e.g., cutting, drilling, and milling) and "equal-material manufacturing" (e.g., welding, casting, and forging), AM is built on 3D models [9], relies on layer by layer printing-extrusion, sintering [10,11], melting, light curing, and jetting to form solids from metallic or non-metallic materials [12,13].…”