Synthesis and characterization of macrocomposites based on nickel-coated quasi-crystalline Al-Cu-Fe powder

Disperse composite materials consisting of quasi-crystalline Al-Cu-Fe particles covered by nickel nanolayers have been obtained using a dusty plasma trap coating technology. These powders were processed into macrocomposites by cold pressing with subsequent sintering in hydrogen. The macrocomposites were studied by the electron microscopy, electron-probe microanalysis, and X-ray diffraction techniques. It is established that sintering at ~750°C yields a high-strength macrocomposite that is not fractured under tribological testing conditions. Despite the fact the samples sintered at 750°C contain about 50 wt % of β phase, their friction coefficient is close to that of Al-Cu-Fe quasi-crystals.