Fabrication of Zinc–Tungsten Carbide Nanocomposite Using Cold Compaction Followed by Melting

Zinc (Zn) is an important material for numerous applications since it has pre-eminent ductility and high ultimate tensile strain, as well high corrosion resistivity and good biocompatibility. However, since Zn suffers from low mechanical strengths, most of the applications would use Zn as a coating or alloying element. In this study, a new class of Zn-based material with a significantly enhanced mechanical property is developed. The zinc-10 vol % tungsten carbide (Zn-10WC) nanocomposite was fabricated by cold compaction followed by a melting process. The Zn-10WC nanocomposites offer a uniform nanoparticle dispersion with little agglomeration, exhibiting significantly enhanced mechanical properties by micropillar compression tests and microwire tensile testing. The nanocomposites offer an over 200% and 180% increase in yield strength and ultimate tensile strength (UTS), respectively. The strengthening effect could be attributed to Orowan strengthening and grain refinement induced by nanoparticles.