Published online by Cambridge University Press: 11 February 2011
There have been many predictions of the reinforcing effects of carbon nanotubes in various composite matrices but large improvements in properties have not yet been convincingly demonstrated. In the present study, we have successfully realized this possibility in reinforcing nanocrystalline alumina. Fully dense single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCN)/Al2O3 nanocomposites with nanocrystalline alumina matrix have been fabricated at sintering temperatures as low as 1150°C by spark-plasma-sintering (SPS). A fracture toughness of 9.7 MPam1/2, nearly three times that of pure nanocrystalline alumina, has been achieved in the 10 vol.% SWCN/Al2O3 nanocomposite. Moreover, high-strain-rate superplasticity has been achieved in Al2O3/ZrO2/MgAl2O4 nanocomposite with truly nanocrystalline grain size of 100 nm. Compression superplastic tests were conducted in the temperature range of 1300–1450°C at strain rates 10-3-10-1 s-1. The results generated a stress exponent of ∼ 2 and an activation energy of ∼ 620 kJ/mol.