Preparation and Characterization of core/shell Nanostructured WC/Ni Composites

WC/Ni core/shell nanocomposites were prepared by ball milling and ionothermal method (WC as core, Ni as shell). The prepared samples were characterized by XRD, SEM, EDS and TEM. The XRD results showed that the prepared samples were only the WC and Ni phases. The SEM, EDS and TEM results showed that the prepared WC nanoparticles were spherical and irregular, coated by Ni nanoparticles and formed the WC-Ni core-shell nanostructures. The diameter of WC nanoparticles was about 100nm and the thickness of the Ni nanoparticles was about 20nm. Due to the formation of the core-shell nanostructures, the growth of the WC nanoparticles was inhibited in the WC-Ni cemented carbide sintering process. This has laid an experimental foundation for preparing cemented carbide with high strength and high toughness.