Enhanced Mechanical Properties and Thermal Conductivity for GNPs/Al2024 Composites with In Situ SiC Nanorods

In order to significantly enhance the performance of graphene in metal matrix composites, in situ SiC nanorods were successfully fabricated to enhance graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs)-reinforced Al2024 composite, which was prepared by powder semi-solid processing and friction stir processing. The SiC–GNPs dispersed in the Al matrix uniformly, SiC nanorods were randomly grown on GNPs sheets in any direction, bridging GNPs as well as GNPs and the Al matrix. Meanwhile, the interfacial bonding was effective. The hybrid reinforcement of SiC and GNPs endowed composites with superior mechanical properties and thermal conductivity. The in situ SiC nanorods transfer phonons and reduce phonon scattering effect in the through-plane direction of GNPs, which conducive to heat transmission. The composite exhibits improved mechanical properties, maximum tensile strength and hardness of 589 MPa and 193 HV are obtained, with 1.0 wt% GNPs addition, respectively. The thermal conductivity of composite increases with the content of SiC–GNPs. When the content of SiC–GNPs reaches 1.5 wt%, the composite has significantly enhanced thermal conductivity (224 W m−1 K−1), which is 115% times higher than that of Al2024. Moreover, the effects of SiC–GNPs on the properties were discussed.