The effect of graphene nano-sheet (GNS) weight percentage on mechanical and corrosion properties of AZ61 and AZ91 based magnesium matrix composites

In this study, the effect of graphene nano-sheets (GNSs) on mechanical and corrosion properties of AZ61 and AZ91 based composites was investigated, detail. GNSs have been successfully produced by the liquid phase exfoliation (LPE) method and then, added AZ61 and AZ91 matrix with 01, 0.2, and 0.5 wt% GNSs for the production of the composites. The composite compacts were produced by powder metallurgy technique and sintered for 2 h at 500 °C under Ar atmosphere. The composite characterizations were carried out by scanning and transmission electron microscopes (SEM, TEM), electron dispersive spectroscope (EDS), Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction. The mechanical properties and corrosion behaviors of the composites have been compared with compression tests and potentiodynamic scanning (PDS) techniques, respectively. The results showed that the compressive strength of the composites increased with increasing GNS amount in both the AZ61 and AZ91 matrix alloys. The most susceptible composites to corrosion for both AZ61 and AZ91 matrix were observed in the 0.5 wt% GNS containing structures. However, there is a certain ratio of GNS in the Mg matrix to achieve good corrosion resistance.