Metal

Diamond

Composite number

Engineering

Metallurgy

Materials science

Carbide

Layer (electronics)

Thermal conductivity

Boron carbide

Particle size

Chemical engineering

Geology

Oceanography

Grain size

Material properties of diamond

Particle (ecology)

Composite material

Reinforcement

Journal of Material Science and Technology

In the Cu/diamond composites modified by metal matrix alloying, the interfacial thermal conductance depends on the in-situ formed interfacial carbide layer that further depends on the diamond particle size. We fix boron alloying content as 0.3 wt% and vary diamond particle size from 66 to 701 µm to tune interfacial carbide layer with an attempt to separate the two dependences of diamond particle size and interfacial thermal conductance. The Cu-0.3 wt% B/diamond composite exhibits a slowing increase in thermal conductivity as the diamond particle size is larger than 300 µm because of a simultaneous decrease in the interfacial thermal conductance. A high thermal conductivity of 904 W/(m K) is obtained with diamond particle size of 701 μm. The findings emphasize the importance of tailoring interfacial carbide layer to attain high thermal conductivity in the Cu/diamond composites modified by metal matrix alloying.

Reinforcement size effect on thermal conductivity in Cu-B/diamond composite