Preparation of W-Cu submicrometer composite powder by spray solution combustion synthesis-hydrogen reduction

A novel method combining spray solution combustion synthesis (SSCS) with hydrogen reduction (HR) was developed to prepare W-Cu submicrometer composite powders. It was found that the properties of W-Cu powders were mainly dependent upon the structure of precursor and HR temperature. The structure and morphology of the initial precursor were found to be closely related to the ignition temperature. Therefore, the effects of ignition temperature and HR temperature on the size and morphology of precursor as well as the final W-Cu powders were studied in detail. The results indicated that the precursor, prepared at 800 °C ignition temperature, was comprised of hollow spherical particles with high specific surface area (SSA) (6.2 m²/g). W-Cu powders, prepared at 800 °C HR temperature, were consisted of well-distributed spherical particles of 100–200 nm with high SSA (7.8 m²/g). Moreover, the reaction mechanism of SSCS-HR was also discussed in detail.