Preparation of super-aligned carbon nanotube-reinforced nickel-matrix laminar composites with excellent mechanical properties

A homogeneous and compact super-aligned carbon nanotube (SACNT)-reinforced nickel-matrix composite was successfully prepared by electrodeposition. The mechanical properties of the laminar SACNT/Ni composites were substantially improved compared with those of pure nickel. With increasing content of SACNTs, the tensile strength of the composite increased and the elongation decreased because of the high-strength SACNTs bearing part of an applied load and the fine-grained strengthening mechanism. The nanohardness of the SACNT/Ni composites was improved from 3.92 GPa (pure nickel) to 4.62 GPa (Ni？4vol%SACNTs). The uniform distribution of SACNTs in the composites and strong interfacial bonding between the SACNTs and the nickel matrix resulted in an improvement of the mechanical properties of the SACNT/Ni composites. The introduced SACNTs refined the nickel grains, increased the amount of crystal twins, and changed the preferred orientation of grain growth.