The biggest challenge in manufacturing an immiscible system is phase segregation and non-uniformity inside the composite matrix. Additive manufacturing has the potential to overcome these difficulties due to the high cooling rate achieved during the process. Here we have developed immiscible Copper-based composites reinforced with Tantalum, which were fabricated using the powder bed fusion melting (PBF-M) technique. The distinct advantage of utilizing Tantalum in this process resides in its high melting point, allowing it to remain in particle form within the composite and contribute to its mechanical and surface/wear properties. The PBF-M results in the in situ fragmentation of micron-size Tantalum particles into nanoparticle form through a surface roughening process during laser interaction, enhancing its mechanical and wear properties. The microstructural evolution of Cu-Ta composites is explained through multiscale numerical modeling. The enhanced yield strength and the dynamics of the Ta particles were corroborated by molecular dynamics simulations. The maximum yield strength is exhibited by Cu-5wt%Ta of 80 MPa. Addition of Ta also have significant improvement in wear properties of composites. The current results can be exploited to develop complex shape, high energy efficient copper-based composites.
@article{arxiv.2502.04373,
title = {Nano-size fragmentation of Tantalum in Copper composite using additive manufacturing},
author = {Rakesh Das and Pawan Kumar Dubey and Raphael Benjamim de Oliveira and Douglas S. Galvao and Indranil Manna and Sameehan S. Joshi and Peter Samora Owuor and Leonardo D. Machado and Nirmal Kumar Katiyar and Suman Chakraborty and Chandra Sekhar Tiwary},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2502.04373},
year = {2025}
}