Journal of Materials Science and Engineering with Advanced Technology
AND NANO-
PREFORMS USING AN 
ALLOYAuthor's: M. RODRÃGUEZ-REYES, H. F. LÓPEZ, J. R. PARGA-TORRES, J. A. DÃAZ-GUILLEN, J. A. AGUILAR-MARTÃNEZ and M. M. CISNEROS
Pages: [47] - [69]
Received Date: November 11, 2012
Submitted by:
In this work, nano-ceramic preforms containing either 
or 
were infiltrated by using an Al-Si-Mg alloy
via pressureless reactive infiltration. In both systems, a relatively
large fraction of the nano-reinforcements were exposed to reaction
with the molten alloy. It was found that Mg in the vapour phase or in
the Al-Si-Mg melt acts to reduce the 
or 
nanoparticles. Also, when a nitrogen
atmosphere is present, 
is formed. Other reactions occur that
result in the formation of 
AlN including amorphous Al-Mg-Si-O phases.
It was found that the phase always forms in the 
system, which can be detrimental for the
stability and properties of the reinforced composite. In contrast, in
the 
the phase did not develop probably due to the
presence of 
which inhibits its formation. In addition,
reduced infiltration was observed in the system due to the presence of MgO and
These phases possess low wettability and
can make the infiltration process increasingly difficult. In contrast,
the 
exhibited improved metal flow probably as
a result of reactive infiltration between the amorphous nanoparticles when in contact with the
molten metal. Finally, micro-hardness measurements indicated that
these systems exhibit similar values for a given fraction of
reinforcement regardless of the type and/or distribution of
nanoparticles.
Nano-
nano-
infiltration, metal matrix nano-composites,
aluminum alloys.
