Properties of magnesium alloys reinforced with nanoparticles and carbon nanotubes: a review

Abstract

Magnesium alloys suffer from only moderate high-temperature strength and creep resistance. Aluminium-free magnesium alloys for sand casting or alloys containing aluminium with expensive additional alloying elements may be in use, but only microparticle or microfibre-reinforced magnesium alloys really exhibit satisfactory creep strengths at temperatures up to 250°C. Reinforcing magnesium alloys with ceramic nanoparticles could be a solution for preserving a low density while increasing the high-temperature performance. When produced using melting processes, nanoparticle-reinforced magnesium composites are expected to enjoy strengthening due to the grain refinement described in the Hall-Petch relation. When an isotropic distribution of nanoparticles is achieved, the composites are additionally expected to be Orowan-strengthened. In this review, a variety of ceramic materials, such as SiC, Al 2 O 3 , Y 2 O 3 , SiO 2 and carbon nanotubes were investigated for reinforcement. Pure magnesium and various magnesium alloys were chosen as the matrix material and both powder metallurgical and melting processes were used for production of the composites. The mechanical properties of the composites were generally enhanced, compared to an unreinforced alloy; not only at room temperature, but also at elevated temperatures. In some cases an increase in strength in combination with increased ductility was also identified.

Influence of Micron-Ti and Nano-Cu Additions on the Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Pure Magnesium

“…Various researchers have observed the simultaneous improvement in strength and ductility in Mg and its alloys through the addition of insoluble metallic elements like Ti, Mo and nano-sized ceramic particulates (Al 2 O 3 , Y 2 O 3 ). Similar results were also obtained by Eugene et al through the addition of nano-sized Cu particulates having limited solubility in Mg [14][15][16][17][18][19][20]. Recently, the high strength, high modulus, hard intermetallic phases (such as Al 3 Ti and TiB 2 , etc.)…”

Ultrasound Assisted Casting of an AM60 Based Metal Matrix Nanocomposite, Its Properties, and Recyclability

“…Although they did not observe any effect on grain size, the ductility slightly decreased, and tensile yield strength slightly increased. An overview of nanoparticle reinforced magnesium alloys is given in [23].…”

Micro-machinability of nanoparticle-reinforced Mg-based MMCs: an experimental investigation

“…Among MMCs materials, micro-sized particulate MMCs attract more attention from both industries and academia than fibre reinforced MMCs, as the former category exhibits higher ductility and lower anisotropy [2]. With the development of materials science, it has been reported that MMCs reinforced with small volume fraction of nano-sized particles could produce even superior results in mechanical properties than those reinforced with micro-sized particles [3][4][5].…”