Graphene/ZrO₂/aluminum alloy composite with enhanced strength and ductility fabricated by laser powder bed fusion

Two-dimensional graphene nanoplates (GNPs) with a high aspect ratio and outstanding mechanical properties is an excellent reinforcement for fabricating aluminum-based composites. The laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) technique has been employed for fabricating GNPs/aluminum composites. Unfortunately, the GNPs/aluminum composites prepared by L-PBF exhibit limited enhancement in strength and ductility due to the increased graphene defects and the formation of Al₄C₃ carbides. In this study, we added ZrO₂ nanoparticles to the GNPs/AlSi10Mg composite to further improve its strength and ductility. The GNPs/ZrO₂/AlSi10Mg composite samples were fabricated by L-PBF. Compared with the L-PBF prepared GNPs/AlSi10Mg and ZrO₂/AlSi10Mg composite samples, the as-built GNPs/ZrO₂/AlSi10Mg composite sample exhibits the highest tensile strength of 537.9 ± 10 MPa and ductility of 11.2 ± 1%. This result indicates that GNPs/ZrO₂ provide dual enhancements in tensile strength and ductility for the L-PBF prepared GNPs/ZrO₂/AlSi10Mg composite sample. The GNPs/ZrO₂ nanofiller-induced enhancements in strength and ductility were discussed in depth in this study.