Development and Characterization of Silicon Nitride and Synthesized Graphene Oxide Reinforced Cu/GO/_xSi₃N₄ Composites

The intent of the proposed research is to analyze the effect of Silicon Nitride (Si₃N₄) and synthesized Graphene Oxide (GO) on the physical, wear and corrosive characteristics of the copper. The copper hybrid composite having constant GO and varying weight % of Si₃N₄ is prepared through powder metallurgy. The GO is synthesized from graphite through modified hummers method and its formation is confirmed through SEM, XRD, Raman and FTIR analysis. The SEM analysis of developed Cu/0.3rGO/xSi₃N₄ confirms the presence of reinforcements and density analysis confirms the reduction density. The microhardness is found increasing with GO and Si₃N₄ addition. Wear rate of the copper found decreases with reinforcement addition due to self-lubricating nature of GO and hardness of Si₃N₄ ceramic. Worn surface confirms the transition of severe wear to mild wear with Si₃N₄ addition. The corrosion results suggest that the composite reinforced with 0.3% GO and 15% Si₃N₄ yielded better corrosion resistance than the other developed composites. Corroded surface analysis confirms the reduction in surface damage with reinforcement addition that shows increase in corrosion resistance of copper with hybrid reinforcement addition.