The Sliding Wear and Friction Behavior of M50-Graphene Self-Lubricating Composites Prepared by Laser Additive Manufacturing at Elevated Temperature

M50 steel is widely applied to manufacture aircraft bearings where service lives are mainly determined by the friction and wear behaviors. The main purpose of this study is to investigate the tribological behaviors and wear mechanisms of M50-1.5 wt.% graphene composites (MGC) prepared by laser additive manufacturing (LAM) (MGC-LAM) sliding against Si₃N₄ ball from 25 to 550 °C at 18 N–0.2 m/s. XRD, EPMA, FESEM, and EDS mapping were conducted to understand the major mechanisms leading to the improvement in the sliding behavior of MGC-LAM. The results indicated that MGC-LAM showed the excellent friction and wear performance at 25-550 °C for the lower friction coefficient of 0.16-0.52 and less wear rate of 6.1-9.5 × 10^?7 mm³ N^?1 m^?1. Especially at 350 °C, MGC-LAM obtained the best tribological performance (0.16, 6.1 × 10^?7mm³ N^?1 m^?1). It was attributed to the dense coral-like microstructure, as well as the formed surface lubricating structure which is composed of the upper uniform lubricating film with massive graphene and the underneath compacted layer.     

Tribological behaviors of Ag−graphite composites reinforced with spherical graphite

Two kinds of Ag−graphite composites reinforced with spherical graphite (SG) and conventional flake graphite (FG) were prepared by powder metallurgy technology. The effect of graphite morphology on the tribological behavior for the Ag−SG and Ag−FG under the dry sliding wear was investigated with a pin-on-disk tribometer at a load of 3.0 N in atmosphere condition. The results indicated that the minimum wear rate of 3.5×10⁻⁵ mm³/(N·m) for Ag−FG was achieved and it reduced by nearly an order of magnitude, reaching 1.6×10⁻⁶ mm³/(N·m) for the Ag−SG. The obviously different tribological behaviors between the Ag−SG and Ag−FG were closely related to the formation of cracks in the sub-surface. The stress concentration tended to generate at the edges of flake graphite during sliding process, which resulted in the cracks and severe delamination wear of Ag−FG. However, no cracks were found around the spherical graphite in Ag−SG. The spherical graphite can effectively inhibit the initiation and propagation of cracks, achieving high wear resistance.     

WC-Co reinforced NiCoCrAlYTa composite coating: Effect of the proportion on microstructure and tribological properties

The properties of the working surfaces are linked to the safety and lifespan of the modern machines so that variety of coatings are used to protect the parts from breakdown. The NiCoCrAlYTa coating, which has an excellent oxidation resistance, usually undergoes more serious friction and wear due to its lower micro-hardness in contrast to the ceramic coatings. Therefore, the composite coatings reinforced by WC-Co are prepared by HVOF sprayed technology and are also characterized by scanning electron microscope, Raman spectrometer and X-ray diffraction. At the same time, the friction and wear behaviors as well as the mechanisms of different friction pairs are also discussed, in detail. The composite coatings, which mainly consist of γ-(Ni, Co), β-NiAl, γ′-Ni₃Al, WC and W₂C, are dense and uniform. With the increase of WC-17Co, the microhardness of NiCoCrAlYTa/WC-Co composite coating has enhanced from 641.4 HV_300g to 859.7 HV_300g. The wear rates of the composite coatings (10⁻⁵–10⁻⁶ mm³·N⁻¹ m⁻¹) are far lower than those of the as-sprayed NiCoCrAlYTa coating (10⁻⁴ mm³·N⁻¹ m⁻¹). Overall, the mechanical properties and tribological behaviors of the coatings are greatly improved with the addition of WC-Co.     

Effect of NaOH on plasma electrolytic oxidation of A356 aluminium alloy in moderately concentrated aluminate electrolyte

Plasma electrolytic oxidation(PEO) of cast A356 aluminum alloy was carried out in 32 g/L NaAlO₂ with the addition of different concentrations of NaOH. The stability of the aluminate solution is greatly enhanced by increasing the concentration of NaOH. However, corresponding changes in the PEO behaviour occur due to the increment of NaOH concentration. Thicker precursor coatings are required for the PEO treatment in a more concentrated NaOH electrolyte. The results show that the optimal NaOH concentration is 5 g/L, which improves the stability of storage electrolyte to about 35 days, and leads to dense coatings with high wear performance (wear rate: 4.1×10⁻⁷ mm³·N⁻¹·m⁻¹).     

Wear resistance of ZrB2 based ceramic composites

The wear resistance and tribological characteristics of spark plasma sintered ZrB₂ + B₄C, ZrB₂ + SiC and ZrB₂ + ZrC composites were investigated under dry sliding conditions at applied loads of 5 N and 50 N in air. The microstructure, deformation and damage characteristics were studied using scanning electron microscopy, confocal electron microscopy, a focused ion beam and atomic force microscopy. The friction coefficient values were very similar for all composites with values ranging from 0.63 to 0.72 and with the lowest value recorded for the ZrB₂ + SiC composite at a 5 N applied load. The ZrB₂ + ZrC composite was the most wear resistant, with wear rates at a 5 N load of 6.15 × 10⁻⁶ mm³/(N·m) and at a 50 N of 7.3 × 10⁻⁶ mm³/(N·m). None, or a very limited number of grain pull-outs and/or lateral fractures of grains were found during the wear tests. At the 5 N load, abrasive grooves connected with deformations and Hertzian crack formations were the main wear mechanisms in all systems, with limited crack formations in the ZrB₂ + ZrC composite. Tribofilm formations connected with debris origin, oxidation and tribochemical reactions were dominant in all composites, with similar chemical compositions but different sizes and thicknesses at the 50 N load.     

Effects of TaN nanoparticles on microstructure,mechanical properties and tribological performance of PEEK coating prepared by electrophoretic deposition

In order to solve the friction, wear and lubrication problems of titanium, a series of TaN/ployether- ether-ketone (PEEK) coatings were developed by electrophoretic deposition, and the effects of TaN nanoparticles on the microstructure, mechanical properties and tribological performance of coatings were explored. Results manifest that the introduction of TaN nanoparticles into PEEK coatings could improve the deposition efficiency, enhance the resistant deform capacity, increase the hardness, elastic modulus and adhesive bonding strength. Compared with the pure PEEK coating, the friction coefficient of P-TN-3 was greatly reduced by 31.25%. The wear resistance of P-TN-3 was also improved in huge boost, and its specific wear rate was decreased from 9.42×10^-5 to 1.62×10^-5 mm³·N^-1·m^-1. The homogeneous composite TaN/PEEK coatings prepared by electrophoretic deposition were well-adhered to the titanium alloy substrate, TaN nanoparticles could improve the strength of PEEK coating, and provide wear-resistance protection for titanium alloys.     

Mechanical,physical properties and tribological behaviour of silicon carbide composites with addition of carbon nanotubes

Four types of silicon carbide/carbon nanotubes composites were prepared with the main aim to develop ceramics with enhanced electrical conductivity. The SiC/CNT composites were prepared by in-situ growth of CNT on the SiC powder grains. Three types of SiC/CNT composites, where the precursor SiC/CNT powder mixture was prepared by Catalytic Chemical Vapour Deposition (CCVD) method and different amounts of Fe catalytic nanoparticles (2.5, 5, 10 wt% Fe), were designed. In addition, one reference material containing 2.5 wt% Fe catalytic nanoparticles but without CCVD application, i.e. without CNT, was prepared in order to correctly assess the role of CNT. The experimental materials were compacted by hot pressing (1850 °C/Ar/60 min/40 MPa). Mechanical properties such as hardness and elastic modulus of experimental materials were determined. Electrical conductivity as a function of CNT content was measured. The effect of the CNT addition on tribological properties (coefficient of friction, wear) of SiC/CNT composites was also observed.Hardness of the reference sample was relatively high (HV1 = 24 GPa) and it decreased down to HV1 = 17–19.8 GPa with presence of CNT. Similarly, the fracture toughness decreased with presence of CNT from 4.99 MPa.m^1/2 for the reference sample down to 3.4–4 MPa.m^1/2 for the SiC/CNT composites. Nanoindentation showed that hardness H_IT of reference sample without CNT was around 26 GPa and with increasing amounts of CNT it decreased down to 21 GPa. The composites had similar modulus of elasticity (E_IT = 337–348 GPa), while for the reference sample it was E_IT = 434 GPa. Electrical conductivity increased with amount of CNT (1.76 S/m for the reference sample, 484.3 S/m for the composite with 2.5 wt% Fe, and up to 2873.6 S/m for the composite with 10 wt% Fe). Specific wear rate increased with presence of CNT from 7.7 × 10⁻⁷ mm³/Nm for the reference sample to 2.4–2.9 × 10⁻⁶ mm³/Nm for the composites. Complex wear behavior common for all types of experimental materials was observed: mainly abrasion, mechanical wear (micro-fractures) and tribochemical reactions with created SiO₂ layer. In the reference sample the dominant wear mechanism was abrasion, in SiC/CNT composites formation of transferred films in wear tracks consisting of oxides and carbon phases formed by crushing the CNT were observed.     

Tribological Performance of Ni<Subscript>3</Subscript>Al Matrix Self-Lubricating Composites Containing Multilayer Graphene Prepared by Additive Manufacturing

In order to improve tribological performance of Ni₃Al-based alloy, Ni₃Al matrix composites containing 1.5 wt.% multilayer graphene (MLG) are prepared through additive manufacturing (AM) and spark plasma sintering (SPS), which are denoted as NMAM and NMSPS, respectively. Tribological behaviors of NMAM and NMSPS against Si₃N₄ balls are researched under constant speed (0.2 m/s) and varied loads (from 4 to 16 N) for evaluating the tribological properties of NMAM and NMSPS. The results present that NMAM exhibits the excellent tribological properties [low friction coefficients (0.26-0.40) and considerable wear resistance (2.8-4.6 × 10^?5 mm³ N^?1 m^?1)] as compared to NMSPS, which attributes to the uniform enrichment of MLG with properties of high tensile strength and being easily sheared off on the worn surfaces. Owing to the use of spherical prealloyed powder containing multilayer graphene and the characteristics of layer by layer depositing in the AM process, NMAM has a more compact and uniform substrate, which persistently provides a source of the formation of continuous and stable frictional layer. Due to the characteristics of AM rapid solidification, NMAM has the small grain size and well-compacted microstructure, which can effectively reduce the probability of spalling wear and lead to the increase in wear resistance of materials. The research can offer the reference for self-lubricating materials prepared by AM technology.     

Synthesis and Characterization of Reduced Graphene Oxide- Polyaniline Composite for Supercapacitor Applications

Graphene oxide (GO) is synthesized from commercially available graphite powder. The prepared GO is converted to reduced graphene oxide (rGO) by chemical reduction using sodium borohydride and sodium hydroxide. The rGO is characterized via X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Conducting polymer–polyaniline, was prepared by oxidative polymerization in an electrolyte- hydrochloric acid and using ammonium persulphate as oxidant. The structure and doping of polyaniline were studied by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and ultra-violet visible spectroscopy. To enhance the conductivity of the rGO, the conducting polymer mixed with rGO and rGO/Conducting polymer composites were prepared. The composite was characterized by cyclic voltammetry, AC impedance spectroscopy. A symmetrical supercapacitor (SC) has been fabricated based on rGO/PANI composites. The prepared composites were shown specific capacitance of 72 F g^–1 at 2 mV s^–1.     

Microstructure and wear resistance of AlCrFeNiMo0.5Six high-entropy alloy coatings prepared by laser cladding

In recent years, the coating prepared by laser cladding has attracted much attention in the field of wear research. In this work, AlCrFeNiMo_0.5Si_x (x=0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0) high-entropy alloy coatings were designed and prepared on Q235 steel by laser cladding. The effect of Si content on microstructure, microhardness and wear resistance of the coatings was studied in detail. The results indicate that the AlCrFeNiMo_0.5Si_x high-entropy alloy coatings show an excellent bonding between substrate and the cladding layer. The AlCrFeNiMo_0.5Si_x coatings are composed of nano-precipitated phase with BCC structure and matrix with ordered B2 structure. With the addition of Si, the white phase (Cr, Mo)₃Si with cubic structure appears in the interdendritic, and the morphology of the coating (x=2.0) transforms into lamellar eutectic-like structures. The addition of Si enhances the microhardness and significantly improves the wear resistance of the coatings. As x increases from 0 to 2.0, the average hardness of the cladding zone increases from 632 HV to 835 HV, and the wear rate decreases from 1.64×10⁻⁵ mm³·(N·m)⁻¹ to 5.13×10⁻⁶ mm³·(N·m)⁻¹. When x≥1.5, the decreasing trend of the wear rate gradually slows down. The wear rates of Si1.5 and Si2.0 coatings are 5.85×10⁻⁶ mm³·(N·m)⁻¹ and 5.13×10⁻⁶ mm³·(N·m)⁻¹, respectively, which is an order of magnitude lower than that of Q235 steel.

     

Selective laser melting additive manufacturing of pure tungsten: Role of volumetric energy density on densification,microstructure and mechanical properties

Due to the intrinsic properties of tungsten, such as high melting point and high thermal conductivity, selective laser melting of pure W parts experiences many challenges. In this study, the effects of volumetric energy density on the densification behavior, microstructure evolution and mechanical performances of SLM-processed pure tungsten parts were investigated. A maximum density of 19.0 g/cm³ (98.4% of the theoretical density) was obtained at the optimal energy density of 1000 J/mm³ and its microstructure was free of pores and balling phenomenon. The formation mechanism of pores and cracks was systematically investigated. The microhardness and compressive strength of SLM-processed pure W parts reached 474 HV and 902 MPa, respectively, which were comparable to the samples produced by conventional manufacturing methods. The morphology of fracture demonstrated that the fracture mechanism of SLM-processed pure W parts was brittle fracture and intergranular fracture was the main fracture mode. Dry sliding wear tests showed that the wear mechanism changed with the energy density. For pure W parts processed by SLM at the optimal parameters, the adhesion of hardened tribolayers was formed. In this case, the reduced coefficient of friction (COF) of 0.45 and a low wear rate of 1.3 × 10⁻⁵ mm³·N⁻¹·m⁻¹ were obtained.     

Sintering and sliding wear studies of B4C-SiC composites

Dense boron carbide (B₄C) – silicon carbide (SiC) composites were obtained by spark plasma sintering technique at 1800°C with 3 wt% and 6 wt% aluminium oxide (Al₂O₃) additives. Addition of sintering additives results in formation of aluminium silicate (Al₂SiO₅) liquid phase which accelerates sintering kinetics and helps in obtaining high density ~ 99%. Microstructures reveal uniformly distributed SiC particles in B₄C matrix. Increase in alumina from 3 wt% to 6 wt% results in decrease in hardness from 35.1 ± 0.8 to 33.7 ± 0.9 GPa, and increase in fracture toughness from 5.9 ± 0.4 to 6.5 ± 0.4 MPam^0.5. Using a ball-on-disk tribo tester under dry unlubricated conditions at 5, 10 or 15 N load, influence of alumina content on friction and wear properties of B₄C-SiC composites was investigated against SiC counterbody with a linear speed of 0.08 m/s for 60 min. The coefficient of friction (COF) increased from 0.25 to 0.65 with load, and the influence of alumina on frictional behaviour appeared to be negligible. With increase in load, wear volume of the composites increased from 7.5 × 10⁻² mm³ to 16.1 × 10⁻² mm³ for B₄C-10 wt% SiC - 3 wt% Al₂O₃ and from 4.7 × 10⁻² mm³ to 14.8 × 10⁻² mm³ for B₄C-10 wt% SiC - 6 wt% Al₂O₃ composites. Microcracking, abrasion and pull-outs contributed as major wear mechanisms of composites in selected wear conditions. The relation between wear behaviour and mechanical properties of sintered composites is discussed.     

Influences of the compositions and mechanical properties of HVOF sprayed bimodal WC-Co coating on its high temperature wear performance

In this work, the bimodal WC-Co coatings were sprayed by high-velocity oxygen-fuel (HVOF), and the conventional WC-Co coatings were also fabricated for comparison. The microstructure, mechanical properties and high temperature wear performance were investigated. The bimodal WC-Co coating presented denser structure (porosity lower than 1.0%), higher average hardness (1164 HV0.1) and fracture toughness (11.5 ± 1.4 MPa·m^1/2) than that of conventional coating. The Weibull analysis of microhardness data of the bimodal coating presents a mono-modal distribution. The friction coefficient and wear rate of the bimodal coating were 0.61 and 2.96 × 10^− 6 mm³·N^− 1·m^− 1, respectively, which is lower than that of conventional coating at the test temperature of 450 °C. The tribofilm could be formed on the worn surface of bimodal WC-Co coating, which is composed of WO₃ and CoWO₄. The formation of tribofilm could reduce friction and wear.     

碳黑含量对放电等离子烧结Fe-Cr-C/TiCN复合材料组织和耐磨性的影响

采用机械合金化和放电等离子烧结法制备了不同碳含量的Fe-Cr-C/TiCN复合材料。通过扫描电镜、X射线衍射、维氏硬度和球-盘式摩擦试验,系统地研究了碳含量对Fe-Cr-C/TiCN复合材料组织和磨损性能的影响。结果表明,在含碳量为1.0%~5.0%（质量分数,下同）的烧结样品中形成了(Cr, Fe)₇C₃碳化物,而当碳含量达到4.0%~5.0%时,出现了(Cr, Fe)₃C相。碳含量对Fe-Cr-C/TiCN复合材料的组织均匀性和致密化有着较为重要的影响,当烧结温度为~1000 ℃时,致密度由未加碳时的95.0%提高到的99.7%（含碳量为3.0%）,说明已实现了完全致密化。当含碳量为3.0%时,维氏硬度达到11 940 MPa。此外,添加适量的碳（3.0%）有助于获得良好的磨损性能,即摩擦系数波动范围小,平均摩擦系数为0.320,磨损率为6.8×10^-4 mm³·N^-1·m^-1。     

Tribological Behavior of Plasma-Sprayed Al<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript>-20 wt.%TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> Coating

Al₂O₃-20 wt.% TiO₂ ceramic coatings were deposited on the surface of Grade D steel by plasma spraying of commercially available powders. The phases and the microstructures of the coatings were investigated by x-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy, respectively. The Al₂O₃-20 wt.% TiO₂ composite coating exhibited a typical inter-lamellar structure consisting of the γ-Al₂O₃ and the Al₂TiO₅ phases. The dry sliding wear behavior of the coating was examined at 20 °C using a ball-on-disk wear tester. The plasma-sprayed coating showed a low wear rate (~4.5 × 10^?6 mm³ N^?1 m^?1), which was <2% of that of the matrix (~283.3 × 10^?6 mm³ N^?1 m^?1), under a load of 15 N. In addition, the tribological behavior of the plasma-sprayed coating was analyzed by examining the microstructure after the wear tests. It was found that delamination of the Al₂TiO₅ phase was the main cause of the wear during the sliding wear tests. A suitable model was used to simulate the wear mechanism of the coating.     

Microstructures and mechanical properties of FeCoCrNi high entropy alloy/WC reinforcing particles composite coatings prepared by laser cladding and plasma cladding

FeCoCrNi HEA coatings with 20% mass fraction of WC reinforcing particles were prepared by two different cladding methods, laser cladding (LC) and plasma cladding (PC). The microstructure of HEA matrix and WC particles of LC and PC coatings were discussed respectively. For HEA matrix, dendritic morphology was observed in both coatings. For WC particles, a few granular (Cr,W)₂C carbides around WC particles in LC coatings, and a large number of crystal and fishbone Fe₃W₃C carbides around WC particles in PC coatings. Mechanical properties as hardness and wear resistance of the two kinds of coatings were also investigated. The interstitial solution strengthening effect of C element is stronger in PC coating, and the hardness of HEA matrix in LC coatings is twice that of in PC coating, which shows a strong retention force on WC particles. The friction coefficient of LC coating is lower and stable, with the volume wear rate of 0.7 × 10⁻⁵ mm⁻³/N·m, showing high wear resistance. PC coatings have poor wear resistance due to decarbonization and oxidation of WC particles and reduction of retention force of HEA matrix, with the volume wear rate of 8.29 × 10⁻⁵ mm⁻³/N·m. The wear mechanism of both coatings were also discussed.     

Effect of WS2 particle size on mechanical properties and tribological behaviors of Cu-WS2 composites sintered by SPS

The mechanical properties and tribological behaviors of Cu-WS₂ composites fabricated by spark plasma sintering (SPS) using two different WS₂ particle sizes of 0.6 and 5.0 µm and Cu powders as raw materials were investigated. The results indicate that the bending strength and tribological behavior of Cu-WS₂ composites are greatly affected by the size of WS₂ particles. The bending strength of Cu-WS₂ composites with the WS₂ particle size of 5.0 μm is 292.2 MPa. As the size of WS₂ particle decreases to 0.6 µm, the bending strength also decreases to 181.5 MPa. Moreover, as the WS₂ particle size decreases from 5.0 to 0.6 µm, the wear rate of Cu-WS₂ composite sharply increases from 2.99×10^?14 to 6.13×10^?14 m³/(N·m) and its friction coefficient increases from 0.158 to 0.172. The size of WS₂ particle (5.0 μm) plays an important role in forming transfer film formed on the counter-face. The sample with 5.0 μm WS₂ particle forms smoother and more continuous transfer film, which results in a low wear rate and friction coefficient of the Cu-WS₂ composites.     

多层碳键联石墨烯涂层的宏观摩擦磨损特性

石墨烯作为固体润滑剂具有重要应用价值,但目前宏观载荷下多层石墨烯涂层对微机电系统硅材料器件的保护作用尚待进一步探索。利用线性往复摩擦试验机,对硅基底上厚度约为 230 nm 的多层碳键联石墨烯(CBG)涂层进行常温高接触应力条件下的宏观摩擦磨损特性分析。试验结果发现：CBG 涂层显著降低了硅片表面的摩擦因数以及磨损程度。当载荷从 1 N (约 551 MPa)增加至 5 N(约 942 MPa),摩擦因数均稳定在 0.12~0.18。进一步,在 5 N 大载荷作用下的 18 000 次往复摩擦中,摩擦因数仍基本维持在 0.2 以下,最低磨损率约为 5.0×10^?7 mm³ / (N·m),有效验证了 CBG 涂层优异的宏观摩擦磨损性能。CBG 涂层上出现的块状碎片、剥离坑和连续划痕是磨损退化的基本缺陷形式,较高接触应力下磨损颗粒产生的犁削行为可能是涂层被逐渐剥落的主要原因。研究成果表明 CBG 涂层在宏观载荷下具有优异的减摩耐磨性能,可以揭示涂层的磨损过程和破坏机理。     

High-temperature sliding wear,elastic modulus and transverse rupture strength of Ni bonded NbC and WC cermets

The effects of rapid pulse electric current sintering (PECS), substitution of WC by NbC and Co by Ni, and carbide additives (TiC and Mo₂C) on the microstructure, elastic modulus, B3B transverse rupture strength (TRS) and high temperature sliding wear on WC-Co, WC-Ni, NbC-Co and NbC-Ni cermets were studied. Additions of x% Mo₂C and y% TiC (where x and y were <10 wt%), coupled with PECS, significantly refined the NbC-Ni cermet's carbide grain size from ~5.0 μm to <0.8 μm, giving mechanical properties comparable to WC-Co and WC-Ni cermets: >14 GPa hardness and ~10 MPa.m^1/2 fracture toughness (K_IC) and ball-on-three-balls (B3B) TRS > 1600 MPa. The sintering techniques had negligible effect on the samples' elastic and shear modulus, and all WC-based samples had higher elastic modulus than all NbC-based samples (by ~120 GPa). High temperature sliding wear tests were carried out using a ball-on-disk tribometer, with a 10 N force, at a sliding speed of 1.34 m/s for 0.8 km (10 min) and 2.4 km (30 min), using 100Cr6 (AISI 52100) steel balls at 400 °C and 0% humidity. For the 2.4 km sliding distance, all the WC cermets had lower wear volumes than NbC cermets, with LPS WC-0.5Cr₃C₂-10Co having the lowest wear volume. Additions of TiC and Mo₂C to NbC-12Ni improved the sliding wear resistance, with TiC having the greater effect, reducing the sample wear rate by over 30% from 15.1 × 10⁻⁶ mm³/N·m to 9.4 × 10⁻⁶ mm³/N·m after sliding distance of 2.4 km. Generally, the LPS samples had lower wear volumes than the corresponding SPS samples, due to higher K_1c and TRS.     

Pressure infiltrated Cu/diamond composites for LED applications

Diamond reinforced copper (Cu/diamond) composites were prepared by a pressure infiltration technique.The composites show a super high conductivity of 713 W m-1 K-1 in combination with an extremely low coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of 7.72 × 10-6 K-1 (25-100 ℃),which are achieved by modifying the copper matrix with adding 0.3 wt.% of boron to get a good thermal contact between the matrix and the diamond particles.By adopting a series of postmachining techniques the composites were made into near-net-shape parts,and an electroless silver coating was also successfully plated on the composites.Finally,their potential applications in the thermal management of light emitting diodes (LED) were illustrated via prototype examples.