The nanostructured copper/microcapsule containing liquid core materials composite（copper/liquid microcapsules composite） was prepared using direct current（DC） electrodeposition method.The surface morphology and microstructure of composite were investigated by means of scanning electron microscopy（SEM）,transmission electron microscopy（TEM） and X-ray diffraction（XRD）.The results show that the microstructure of electrodeposited layer transformed from bulk crystal to nano structure because of the participation of microcapsules.The diameters of microcapsules and the copper grain sizes in the composite were 2？20 μm and 10？20 nm,respectively.In addition,the electrodeposition mechanism of composite in the deposition process followed electrochemistry theory,which was proved by the theoretical analysis result and the experiment results.Meanwhile,the co-deposition process model was presented.
Electroformed copper layer with nanostructure is obtained using a subsequent mechanical treatment under the conditions of ultrasonic vibration according to the demand of high performance material in aeronautics. The microstructure of the electroformed copper layer is observed by optical microscope （OM）, scanning electron microscope （SEM） and transmission electron microscope （TEM）. The tensile strength is evaluated with a tensile tester. It is found that bulk crystal of electroformed copper＇s surface layer is changed to nanocrystals （about 10 nm in size） after the ultrasonic-assisted mechanical treatment （UMT） but the whole monocrystalline structure still remains. The tensile strength exhibited by the new copper layer is two times better than the regular electroformed copper layer, while the fracture strain remains constant. In addition, the strengthening mechanism of UMT process is proved to be dislocation strengthening mechanism.
Copper/liquid microcapsule composite coatings with polyvinyl alcohol （PVA）, gelatin or methyl cellulose （MC） as shell materials were prepared by electrodeposition. The influence of shell materials on the corrosion resistance of the composite coatings in 0.1 M H2SO4 was investigated by means of electrochemical techniques, scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, and energy dispersion spectrometry （EDS）. The results show that the participation of microcapsules can enhance the corrosion resistance of the composite coatings compared with the traditional copper layer. Based on the analysis of electrochemical test results, the release ways of microcapsules were deduced. Gelatin and MC as the shell materials of microcapsules are easy to release quickly in the composite coating. On the contrary, the releasing speed of PVA microcapsules is relatively slow due to their characteristics.
