Herein, the investigations conducted in the area of aluminum (Al) matrix composites reinforced with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are presented. The application of CNT reinforcement in Al alloys is driven by its exceptional chemical and mechanical properties. The critical issues in the processing techniques, challenges in the interfacial mechanisms between the Al matrix and CNTs, and strengthening effects due to the presence of reinforcements are reviewed. The mechanical properties of CNT/Al composites are found to be effectively enhanced with an addition of CNTs even at a small amount. The extent of strength improvements depends mainly on the dispersion of CNTs in the matrix and interfacial bonding between the matrix and CNTs. Limited theoretical modeling can predict the properties of CNT/Al composites to some extent, but without considering the detailed processing parameters. Based on the gaps identified here, future research directions are suggested, including the relationships between the processing parameters and micro‐ and nanostructures, and multiscale mechanical modeling and simulation, aiming to further understand the strengthening mechanisms and develop advanced CNT‐reinforced Al and other metal composites for critical engineering applications.

中文翻译：

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碳纳米管增强铝基复合材料

本文介绍了在碳纳米管（CNTs）增强的铝（Al）基复合材料领域中进行的研究。碳纳米管增强材料在铝合金中的应用是由其出色的化学和机械性能推动的。本文对加工技术中的关键问题，铝基体与碳纳米管之间的界面机制提出的挑战以及由于存在增强材料而产生的增强效果进行了综述。发现即使少量添加CNT也可以有效地增强CNT / Al复合材料的机械性能。强度提高的程度主要取决于CNT在基质中的分散以及基质与CNT之间的界面结合。有限的理论模型可以在一定程度上预测CNT / Al复合材料的性能，但不考虑详细的处理参数。根据此处确定的差距，提出了未来的研究方向，包括加工参数与微结构和纳米结构之间的关系，以及多尺度力学建模和仿真，目的是进一步了解其增强机理并开发先进的CNT增强的Al和其他金属用于关键工程应用的复合材料。