Friction and wear properties of magnesium matrix composites reinforced by tungsten-coated carbon nanotubes

The tungsten were coated on the surface of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) by metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) using hexacarbonyltungsten as the precursor, and the magnesium matrix composites reinforced by tungsten-coated carbon nanotubes ((W-CNTs) /Mg) were prepared by the combination of magnetic stirring (MS) and spark plasma sintering (SPS) processes. The influences of W-CNTs contents by mass on friction and wear properties of the composites were studied. The results show that, W-CNTs can effectively reduce the friction coefficient and wear loss of magnesium matrix. Compared with the pure magnesium, the friction coefficient and wear loss of 0.75% (W-CNTs) /Mg composites by mass are reduced by 43.7% and 71.4%, respectively; both the friction coefficient and the wear loss of Mg composites increase by increasing or decreasing W-CNTs contents. (W-CNTs) /Mg composites have the higher friction and wear properties than those of CNTs/Mg composites.