Fabrication and Tailoring Interface Structure of Diamond/Al(and Al12Si) Composites for Heat Sink Applications by Vacuum Hot Pressing and Selective Laser Melting

Al and Al12Si matrix composites reinforced with synthetic diamond particles have been developed by using conventional powder metallurgy and emerging additive manufacturing techniques, i.e. vacuum hot pressing (VHP) and selective laser melting (SLM), respectively. Relative density and interface structure have been evaluated to relate to measured thermal conductivity (TC) of the composite. Despite very different physical and metallurgical mechanisms (VHP vs. SLM), the diamond/Al interface can be tailored allowing to form a 'clean' and tightly-adhered interface at the micrometer scale in both cases. This so-called diffusion-bonded interface is the most favorable for enhancing overall TC which demonstrates the potential of SLM for processing multifunctional Al matrix composites. However, how to realize full densification and simultaneously maintain such an interface structure during SLM remains a key technical problem to figure out.