Preparation and thermal properties of zirconium tungstate/copper composites

ZrW2O8/Cu composites were prepared by the powder metallurgy method. Electroless plating was used to deposit copper on ZrW2O8 powder before sintering. The thermal expansion and thermal conductivity of composites were measured in the temperature range from 25 degrees C to 200 degrees C and compared with those predicted from various theoretical models. The results show that the coefficient of thermal expansion of ZrW2O8/ Cu composites with a different volume fraction of ZrW2O8, is greater than the theoretically calculated value. The thermal conductivities of ZrW2O8/ Cu composites increase with a higher copper content and decrease upon elevated temperature. The thermal conductivity of composites with a different volume fraction of ZrW2O8 is lower than the theoretically calculated value.