Material property evaluation of graphene-magnesium nanocomposites fabricated using SMART/MA process

Abstract

Magnesium (Mg) alloy is a lightweight metal material with density of 1.74 g/cm3 and high specific strength. It is a material attracting attention in various fields such as automobile lightweight materials, electronic device exterior materials, and biodegradable implants. In spite of the excellent properties of Mg alloy, its application is limited due to insufficient mechanical and corrosion properties. In order to solve this problem, research on Mg matrix nanocomposite (MMNC) in which ultra-high strength Graphene reinforcements and Mg alloys are mixed is being actively conducted. However, when graphene and Mg alloys are mixed with the conventional process, agglomeration occurs due to strong van der Waals bonding between graphene layers. Agglomerated graphene layers cause defects such as pores and cracks inside the composite, and consequently deteriorate mechanical and corrosion properties. In this study, the SMART/MA mixing process was developed to solve the graphene agglomeration phenomenon, and the graphene layers were homogeneously dispersed and excellent mechanical strength and corrosion resistance were obtained. Therefore, the SMART/MA process solves the limitation of the conventional mixing method and can be used as an effective process for manufacturing MMNC.