The studies in graphene reinforced aluminum alloys have already reported that the addition of 0.1 - 0.3 vol.% graphene can impressively increase the material strength by 30%- 62%.

In the presented work, Al-20Si reinforced by graphene with 1 – 7 vol.% is fabricated by pressure infiltration. The reinforcement of 3 vol.%, as shown by experiment, can improve the three-point-bending strength by 230%, and the tensile strength by 150%. It is inferred that the addition of 10 vol,% graphene could increase the bending and tensile stiffness of the composite to 1GPa and 800MPa while reduce its density.

The composite with 7 vol.% graphene becomes a self-lubricating material, which has the coeffeicient of friction and wear below 0.2. At the same composition, the compressive strength at 400℃ is 260MPa, which is equivalent to the matrix material, and the thermal expansion coefficient is reduced to 13.9×10-6 /K.

The nature of these significant improvements in mechanical and physical properties is still not clear, but it seems to be clear that the graphene reinforced aluminum alloy, as the next generation metal matrix composite, should have a promising prospect.

The studies in graphene reinforced aluminum alloys have already reported that the addition of 0.1 - 0.3 vol.% graphene can impressively increase the material strength by 30%- 62%.

In the presented work, Al-20Si reinforced by graphene with 1 – 7 vol.% is fabricated by pressure infiltration. The reinforcement of 3 vol.%, as shown by experiment, can improve the three-point-bending strength by 230%, and the tensile strength by 150%. It is inferred that the addition of 10 vol,% graphene could increase the bending and tensile stiffness of the composite to 1GPa and 800MPa while reduce its density.

The composite with 7 vol.% graphene becomes a self-lubricating material, which has the coeffeicient of friction and wear below 0.2. At the same composition, the compressive strength at 400℃ is 260MPa, which is equivalent to the matrix material, and the thermal expansion coefficient is reduced to 13.9×10-6 /K.

The nature of these significant improvements in mechanical and physical properties is still not clear, but it seems to be clear that the graphene reinforced aluminum alloy, as the next generation metal matrix composite, should have a promising prospect.