Mechanical properties and microstructures of reduced graphene oxide reinforced titanium matrix composites produced by spark plasma sintering and simple shear extrusion

The present research was conducted to improve the mechanical properties of pure titanium, in which a composite reinforced with reduced graphene oxide (RGO) nanosheets was fabricated using spark plasma sintering (SPS) method and was subjected to severe plastic deformation (SPD) process at room temperature with simple shear extrusion (SSE). Its mechanical properties were investigated in terms of tensile and yield strengths applying tension and hardness tests. Moreover, characterizations were accomplished through field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) equipped with EDS, light microscopy (LM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The obtained results revealed that the grain growth was observed for all the samples in the annealing step, yet the elongation in the highest percentage of RGO was severely limited. Following SSE, the grain size decreased in the severe plastic deformation and consequently, mechanical properties of composite improved. In this regard, the hardness improved from 373 HV after SPS to 536.5 HV after two passes of SSE for composite reinforced by 0.1% RGO; moreover, tensile strength enhanced up to 969 MPa. This nanocomposite might be utilized in diverse fields, particularly in bio applications.

Automated summary

This study aimed to improve the mechanical properties of pure titanium by fabricating a composite reinforced with reduced graphene oxide (RGO) nanosheets using a spark plasma sintering (SPS) method and subjecting it to severe plastic deformation (SPD) process with simple shear extrusion (SSE). The results showed that the grain size decreased and mechanical properties of the composite improved significantly, particularly in terms of hardness and tensile strength.