Fabrication of carbon fibre reinforced, aluminium matrix composite by potassium iodide (KI) – potassium hexafluoro‐titanate (K2TiF6) flux

Abstract Carbon fibres (CF) reinforced aluminium (Al) matrix composite material was fabricated using a special flux of potassium iodide (KI) with 10 weight% of potassium hexafluoro‐titanate (K 2 TiF 6 ) at 820°C under protective argon atmosphere. The fabrication was performed with no extra pressure or mixing applied. Liquid Al spontaneously penetrated the space between the carbon fibres (or single fibres were spontaneously transferred from molten salt into liquid Al), due to the perfect wettability between these phases and the corresponding action of the interfacial capillary force. Perfect wettability is ensured by the formation of a thin metallic titanium carbide layer at the fibres/aluminium interface. Metallic titanium appears in liquid Al due to its exchange reaction with the K 2 TiF 6 content of the molten salt.