Microstructure and strength of nano-/ultrafine-grained carbon nanotube-reinforced titanium composites processed by high-pressure torsion

Nano-/ultrafine-grained carbon nanotube-reinforced titanium (CNT/Ti) composites were synthesized by ball milling and high pressure torsion (HPT) at room temperature. The effects of the number of HTP rotations and the weight fraction of CNTs on the microstructure, hardness and tensile properties of the CNT/Ti composites were investigated. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed that elongated grains with an average length of 100–250 nm parallel to the compression axis of HPT and a thickness of 10–25 nm are formed in CNT/Ti composites when CNT contents ranging from 0.3 wt% to 1.0 wt%. With increasing CNT contents, the grain size of Ti is refined, and the microhardness and tensile properties of the composites increase. Evaluating the mechanical properties of the CNT/Ti composites with 0.7 wt% CNTs after 20 rotations indicates a high tensile strength of 872 ± 5 MPa. Cs-corrected high resolution TEM of the interfaces between Ti and the CNTs after HPT reveals a gradual transition from the lattice planes of hexagonal Ti to those of the CNTs. The strengthening mechanisms are discussed from the aspects of matrix grain refinement, distribution of the CNTs and the CNT-Ti interfaces obtained during ball milling and HPT processing.