Preparation of Mo–Cu composite powder with high homogeneity by solution combustion synthesis

In order to reduce the sintering temperature of the Mo–Cu composites, solution combustion synthesis was used to fabricate ultrafine Mo–Cu composite powders, in which Mo and Cu mixed uniformly. Firstly, solution combustion synthesis was conducted to prepared molybdenum and copper oxides composite powders. However, the residual carbon in the as-synthesized precursors requires additional calcination in nitrogen atmosphere during the reduction process to obtain pure Mo–Cu composite powders. Then the Mo–Cu composites were fabricated by liquid phase sintering at low temperatures of 1050–1180 °C using the Mo–Cu composite powders. The Mo–20Cu and Mo–30Cu composites can reach a relative density of >95% after sintering at a low temperature of 1100 °C, which may be attributed to both the small particle size of Mo and the high uniformity of Mo and Cu distribution.