Cold and Detonation Spraying of TiB2-Cu Nanocomposites

TiB2-43vol.%Cu nanocomposite powders with titanium diboride particle size 50-100 nm were cold and detonation sprayed in order to fabricate coatings on a copper substrate. The powders were produced by self-propagating high-temperature synthesis (SHS) followed by mechanical milling. The temperatures during spraying were calculated and the change in the nanostructure of the powders during spraying was studied: in cold sprayed coatings the size of TiB2 particles was well retained, in detonation sprayed coatings the growth of the particles was observed, the mode of spraying greatly affecting the microstructure and the size of the particles. The hardness of cold sprayed coatings was higher compared to detonation sprayed coatings. This research shows the future potential for development of coatings with submicron and nanostructure by cold and detonation spraying of powders produced by mechanical milling.