Nanoscale Cu-Ni alloy nanopowders have been produced by a pulsed wire evaporation method in an inert gas. The effect of Cu-Ni alloy nanopowders as additives to motor oil on the tribological properties was studied at room temperature. The worn surfaces were characterized by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS). Cu-Ni alloy nanopowders as additives lowered coefficient of friction and wear rate. It was found that a copper containing layer on the worn surface was formed, and deposited layers of the metal cladding acted as lubricant on the worn surface, reducing the friction coefficient. It was clearly demonstrated that Cu-Ni alloy nanopowders as additives are able to restore the worn surface and to preserve the friction surfaces from wear

In this study the possibility to obtain a homogeneous mixture and to produce solid solutions and intermetallic compounds of Fe and Al nano particles by simultaneous pulsed wire evaporation (S-PWE) have been investigated. The Fe and Al wires with 0.45 mm in diameter and 35 mm in length were continuously co-fed by a special mechanism to the explosion chamber and simultaneously exploded. The characteristics, e.g., phase composition, particle shape, and specific surface area of Fe-Al nano powders have been analyzed. The synthesized powders, beside for Al and -Fe, contain significant amount of a high-temperature phase of -Fe, Fe Al and traces of other intermetallics. The phase composition of powders could be changed over broad limits by varying initial explosion conditions, e.g. wire distance, input energy, for parallel wires of different metals. The yield of the nano powder is as large as 40 wt ％ and the powder may include up to 46 wt % FeAl as an intermetallic compound.

Pulsed wire evaporation (PWE) method is known as the promising production-technique for nanopowders. In this study, we developed and modified the previous single wire explosion equipment to the simultaneous two-wire explosion one for the fabrication of alloy or mixture of nano metallic powder. First of all, both the theoretical and empirical background of pulsed wire explosion of single wire were summarized, and compared with our experimental results for Cu and Al single wlre explosion. After then, the simultaneous wire evaporation equipment was designed, constructed, and tested. The current and voltage behavior were well matched between the calculated ones from the circuit equations, and the experimental results from simultaneous explosion of Cu and Al wire.

Nanocrystalline materials of Ni and Ni-Cu alloy have been synthesized by the pulsed wire evaporation (PWE) method and these abnormal magnetic properties in the magnetic ordered state have been characterized using both VSM and SQUID in the range of high and low magnetic fields. Ni and Ni-Cu particles with an average size of 20 to 80 nm were found to influence magnetic hysterisis behavior and the results of powder neutron diffraction patterns and saturation magnetization curves are shown to indicate the absence of the NiO phase. The shifted hysterisis loop and irreversibility of the magnetization curve in the high field region were observed in the magnetic-ordered state of both Ni and Ni-Cu. The virgin magnetization curve for Ni slightly spillover on the limited hysterisis loop (20kOe). This irreversibility in the high field of 50 kOe can be explained by non-col-linear behavior and the existence of the metastable states of the magnetization at the surface layer (or core) of the particle in the applied magnetic field. Immiscible alloy of Cu-Ni was also found to show irreversibility having two different magnetic phases.

Nanoparticles of with a mean particle size of 4-30 nm have been prepared by a pulsed wire evaporation method, and its structural and magnetic properties were studied by SQUID magnetometer and Mossbauer spectroscopy. From the main peak intensity of XRD and absorption rate of Mossbauer spectrum, the amounts of and in as-prepared sample are about 70% and 30%, respectively. The coercivity (53 Oe) and the saturation magnetization (14 emu/g) are about 20% of those of the bulk . The low value of coercivity and saturation magnetization indicate that the phase nearly shows the spin glass-like behavior. Analysis of the set of Mossbauer spectrum indicates a distribution of magnetic hyperfine fields due to the particle size distribution yielding 20 nm of average particle size. The magnetic hyperfine parameters are consistent with values reported of bulk and . A quadrupole line on the center of spectrum represents of superparamagnetic phase of with a mean particle size of 7 nm or below.