Fabrication of a compacted aluminum-carbon nanofiber material by hot pressing

The aluminum-carbon nanofiber compacted materials fabricated by hot pressing are studied. The carbon content and the compacting temperature are shown to affect the hardness of the aluminum-carbon nanofiber compacted composite material: the hardness increases from 30 to 57 HB when the carbon nanofiber concentration increases from 0 to 1.5 wt%. The chemical state of the composite components is studied by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Carbon nanofibers transform into an amorphous modification at a temperature of 980$^\circ$C, which corresponds to the decrease in the hardness. Aluminum carbide Al$_4$C$_3$ is found to form, and its content increases monotonically in the hot pressing temperature range from 720 to 1370$^\circ$C.