Abstract
Synergic role of 2 wt% MWCNTs and 5 wt% SiC nanoparticles on the structure and properties of the hybrid alumina nanocomposites fabricated through fast sintering route was studied. The hybrid nano-composite demonstrated fourfold reduced grain size with substantial improvement in fracture toughness (110%) and hardness (30%) against bench-marked monolithic Al2O3. Fine-grained microstructure and the harder SiC nanoparticles led hybrid nanocomposite to superior hardness while better toughness was attributed to the synergic toughening mechanisms induced by the 0D SiC nanoparticles and 1D MWCNTs. The stability of MWCNTs and SiC nanoparticles and their interfaces with Al2O3 matrix were appraised by combined electron microscopes. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.