Preparation and Properties of Cu Matrix Reinforced with Ti2AlN Ceramic Particles

Cu matrix composites with various contents of Ti2AlN were fabricated by powder metallurgy using spark plasma sintering (SPS) method. Ti2AlN ceramic particles were pre-treated by electroless copper plating, the result showed that Ti2AlN reinforcement and Cu matrix were strongly bonded. The effects of Ti2AlN content on microstructure, electrical resistivity and mechanical properties were systematically investigated. With the addition of low fraction of Ti2AlN, the hardness and tensile strength of matrix were improved without losing the fracture toughness too much. Tensile strength of Ti2AlN/Cu composites were about 380 MPa with the content of 7 wt. % reinforcing phase, and the conductivity of the composites remained about 61.5 % IACS. Moreover, the wear tests illustrated that the loads were effectively born by the Ti2AlN reinforcement, the main tribological mechanism changed from adhesive wear to abrasive wear compared with Cu, thus the friction and wear resistance was also obviously improved.