WC strengthened W-Cu nanocomposite powder synthesized by in-situ reactions

A novel strategy to prepare W-Cu nanocomposite powder with WC nanoparticles for strengthening was proposed. The feasibility and mechanisms of the present in-situ reactions method for synthesizing multicomponent powders were demonstrated by both thermodynamic calculations and experiments. The W-Cu-WC nanopowder can be prepared at a low temperature with pure phase constitution and homogeneous microstructure with a mean particle size of 60 nm. Owing to in-situ reactions, the orientation relationship of WC and W is formed, which facilitates strong bonding between the strengthening particles and matrix. The new method is applicable to synthesize a variety of composite powders with tailorable phase and particle size.