Nanocrystalline nickel-graphene nanoplatelets composite: Superior mechanical properties and mechanics of properties enhancement at the atomistic level

Fatemeh Yazdandoost, Ayoub Yari Boroujeni, and Reza Mirzaeifar
Phys. Rev. Materials 1, 076001 – Published 8 December 2017
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Abstract

A relatively easy-to-fabricate nanolayered metal composite with superior mechanical properties is introduced. The matrix is a nanocrystalline nickel in which the grain size is engineered to optimize the strength, and monolayer particles of graphene are embedded into the matrix as reinforcing interlayers. Atomistic-scale deformation mechanisms, and mechanics of hindering the dislocations propagation by graphene nanoplatelets with different configurations in the nanocrystalline metallic matrix, are investigated by molecular dynamics simulations. Molecular dynamics findings are utilized to engineer the nanostructure of a metal matrix composite. Nanocrystalline nickel-graphene nanolayered systems with optimum mechanical properties are identified and fabricated with a cost-efficient method. The nanostructure of the fabricated composites is examined via electron microscopy, and their mechanical performance is inspected via nanoindentation tests. The experimental results show that a nickel-graphene nanolayered system with 14% areal coverage of graphene particles at the interlayers has improved the hardness of the nanocrystalline nickel by almost 40%.

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  • Received 7 July 2017
  • Revised 25 September 2017

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevMaterials.1.076001

©2017 American Physical Society

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

  1. Physical Systems
Condensed Matter, Materials & Applied PhysicsAtomic, Molecular & Optical

Authors & Affiliations

Fatemeh Yazdandoost, Ayoub Yari Boroujeni, and Reza Mirzaeifar*

  • Department of Mechanical Engineering, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, USA

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Issue

Vol. 1, Iss. 7 — December 2017

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