Method to generate and disperse nanostructures in a composite material

1. A method of making a nanostructure-reinforced composite comprising:

providing matrix particles in a reactor, the matrix particles comprising a metal selected from magnesium, aluminum, titanium, manganese, iron, cobalt, nickel, copper, molybdenum, tungsten, palladium, chromium, ruthenium, gold, silver, zinc, zirconium, vanadium, silicon, or a combination thereof;

fluidizing the matrix particles;

introducing a nanostructure material into the reactor;

homogeneously dispersing the nanostructure material;

uniformly depositing the nanostructure material on the matrix particles to form a composite powder;

mechanically alloying the composite powder to generate a nanostructure on the matrix particles from the nanostructure material; and

processing the composite powder to form the nanostructure-reinforced composite having a matrix formed from the matrix particles,

wherein the nano structures are evenly distributed in the matrix of the nanostructure-reinforced composite.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the matrix particles are about 0.5 μm to about 500 μm.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the amount of the nanostructure material on the matrix particles is about 0.001 wt. % to about 50 wt. % based on the weight of the composite powder.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein uniformly depositing the nanostructure material on the matrix particles is a chemical process.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein uniformly depositing the nanostructure material on the matrix particles is a physical process.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein processing the composite powder comprises mechanical alloying, sintering, hot pressing, spark plasma sintering, extrusion, curing, molding, or a combination thereof.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein processing the composite powder comprises

mechanical alloying the composite powder using a ball mill; and

sintering the composite powder to form the nanostructure-reinforced composite.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the nanostructure material comprises nanoparticles, nanotubes, fullerenes, nanowires, nanodots, nanorods, sheets, graphene, nanographite, C1-C4 alkane, C1-C4 alkene, C1-C4 alkyne, benzene, metal, metal oxide, nanodiamonds, polysilsesquioxanes, inorganic nanoparticles, nanoclays, metal nanoparticles, or combinations thereof.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the matrix particles fragment into smaller particles during mechanical alloying.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein additional nanostructure material is added to the composite powder during mechanical alloying.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the matrix and nanostructures form a monolith with substantially all of the matrix particles being integrated into the matrix.