A Novel, Simple and Cost Effective Al A356/Al2O3 Nano-composite Manufacturing Route with Uniform Distribution of Nanoparticles

The present study aims at developing A356/Al2O3(np) nano-composite with a novel and cost effective method for attaining homogeneous dispersion of Al2O3 nanoparticles in the Al matrix. In the current research, Al micro powders distributed on aluminum foil and then Al2O3 nanoparticles ultra-sounded in ethanol and sprayed on Al substrate. Subsequently, the sandwich foil was added to molten A356 during stirring. The nano-composite was characterized through scanning electron microscopy (SEM) for microstructural evaluations. Also, mechanical properties of A356/Al2O3(np) nano-composite was measured through compression and hardness tests. By this novel method an Al based (A356) nano-composite with 2 wt. % Al2O3 nanoparticles was obtained which shows 26.79%, 95.6 % and 43 % enhancement in yield stress, compression strength and hardness, respectively, as compared with the pure alloy processed under the same condition.