Study of Aluminum Wires Treated with MoB2 Nanoparticles

• Main Authors: David Florián-Algarín, Angelisse Ramos-Morales, Michelle Marrero-García, Oscar Marcelo Suárez
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2018-08-01
• Series: Journal of Composites Science
• Subjects: aluminum wires; MoB2; nanoparticles; electrical resistivity
• Online Access: http://www.mdpi.com/2504-477X/2/3/50

This research focuses on the fabrication of aluminum wires treated with MoB2 nanoparticles and their effect on selected mechanical and thermal properties of the wires. These nanoparticles were obtained by fragmentation in a high-energy ball mill and then mechanically alloyed with pure aluminum powder to form Al/MoB2 pellets. The pellets were added to molten pure aluminum (99.5%) at 760 °C. Afterwards, the treated melt was cast into cylindrical ingots, which were cold-formed to the desired final diameter with intermediate annealing. X-ray diffraction and optical microscopy allowed characterizing the structure and microstructure of the material. The wires underwent tensile and bending tests, as well as electrical measurements. Finally, this research demonstrated how the mechanical properties of aluminum wires can be enhanced with the addition of MoB2 nanoparticles with minimal effects on the material resistivity.