Novel Synthesis of CuW Composite Containing Micro- and Nano-tungsten Particles Coated with SixWy Phase via Silicothermic Coupling with Aluminothermic Reduction

A novel method for preparing CuW composite containing micro- and nano-tungsten particles coated with SixWy phase via silicothermic coupling with aluminothermic reduction is presented in this paper. Compared with powder metallurgy, this method avoids the long sintering process at high temperatures and has the advantages of short process flow and low energy consumption. The thermodynamic equilibrium of the Al-Si-CuO-WO3 system was calculated, and CuW and slag samples were systematically analyzed. The results show that it is feasible to prepare a composite containing micro- and nano-tungsten particles coated with SixWy phase via silicothermic coupling with aluminothermic reduction, and the microstructure of CuW composites mainly composed of matrix, spherical tungsten particles wrapped with irregular SixWy phase and a small number of black inclusions. With an increase in R-Si, the proportion of black inclusions decreased, tungsten-containing phases increased and the size distribution range and average diameter of tungsten-containing phases in slag showed an increasing trend.