A bulk metal/ceramic composite material with a cellular structure

A bulk metal/ceramic composite material with a honeycomb-like micro-cell structure has been prepared by sintering the spherical Al90Mn9Ce1 alloy powders clad by Al2O3 nano-powder with the spark plasma sintering (SPS) technique. The as-prepared material consists of Al90Mn9Ce1 alloy cell and closed Al2O3 ceramic cell wall. The diameter of the cells is about 20–40 μm, while a thickness of the cell wall is about 1–2 μm. The ultimate compressive strength of the as-sintered materials is about 514 MPa, while its fracture strain is up to about 0.65 %. This composite material might possess good anti-corrosion, thermal endurance and other potential properties due to its unique microstructure. The result shows that the Al90Mn9Ce1/Al2O3 composite powders can be sintered by spark plasma sintering technique despite the large difference in their sintering temperature. This work offers a way of designing and preparing metal/ceramic composite material with functional property.