The development of metals that can overcome the strength-ductility-weight trade-off has been an ongoing challenge in engineering for many decades. A promising option for making such materials are Metal matrix composites (MMCs). MMCs contain dispersions of reinforcement in the form of fibers, particles, or platelets that significantly improve their thermal, electrical, or mechanical performance. This dissertation focuses on reinforcement with two-dimensional (2D) materials due to their unprecedented mechanical properties. For instance, compared to steel, the most well-studied 2D material, graphene, is nearly forty times stronger (130 GPa) and five times stiffer (1 TPa). Examples of reinforcement by graphene have achieved increases in strength of 60% due to load transfer at the metal/graphene interface and dislocation blocking by the graphene. However, the superior mechanical properties of graphene are not fully transferred to the matrix in conventional MMCs, a phenomenon known as the "valley of death." In an effort to develop key insight into how the relationships between composite design, processing, structure, properties, and mechanics can be used to more effectively transfer the intrinsic mechanical properties of reinforcements to bulk composite materials, nanolayered composite systems made of Ni, Cu, and NiTi reinforced with graphene or 2D hexagonal boron nitride h-BN is studied using experimental techniques and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. / Doctor of Philosophy / The design of new metals with concurrently improved strength and ductility has been an enduring goal in engineering for many decades. The utilization of components made with these new materials would reduce the weight of structures without sacrificing their performance. Such materials have the potential to revolutionize many industries, from electronics to aerospace. Traditional methods of improving the properties of metals by thermomechanical processing have approached a point where only minor performance improvements can be achieved. The development of Metal matrix composites (MMCs) is among the best approaches to achieving the strength-ductility goal. Metal matrix composites are a class of materials containing reinforcements of dissimilar materials that significantly improve their thermal conductivity, electrical conductivity, or mechanical performance. Reinforcements are typically in the form of dispersed fibers, particles, or platelets. The ideal reinforcement materials have superior mechanical properties compared to the metal matrix, a high surface area, and a strong interfacial bond with the matrix. Two-dimensional (2D) materials (materials made up of a single to a few layers of ordered atoms) are attractive for reinforcement in composite materials because they possess unprecedented intrinsic properties. The most well-studied 2D material, graphene, is made of a single layer of carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal honeycomb pattern. It is nearly forty times stronger (130 GPa) and five times stiffer (1 TPa) than steel. Examples of graphene reinforcing have shown increases in strength of 60% due to load transfer at the metal/graphene interface and dislocation blocking by the graphene. Despite their exceptional mechanical properties, the superior mechanical properties of graphene are not fully transferred to the matrix when incorporated into conventional metal matrix composites. This phenomenon, known as the "valley of death," refers to the loss of mechanical performance at different length scales. One cause of this phenomenon is the difficulty of evenly dispersing the reinforcements in the matrix using traditional fabrication techniques. Another is the presence of dislocations in the metal matrix, which cause very large local lattice strains in the graphene. This atomistic-scale deformation at the interface between the metal and the graphene can significantly weaken it, leading to failure at low strains before reaching its intrinsic failure stress and strain. This dissertation aims to provide insight into how the relationships between composites' design, processing, structure, properties, and mechanics can be used to transfer intrinsic mechanical properties of reinforcements to bulk composite materials more effectively. For this, nanolayered composite systems of Ni and Cu reinforced with graphene or 2D h-BN were studied using experimental techniques and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to elucidate the underlying mechanisms behind the composites' material structure and mechanical behavior. Additionally, we explore the incorporation of graphene in a metallic matrix that does not deform through dislocations (or shear bands), such as the shape memory alloy nickel-titanium ( Nitinol or NiTi), to avoid low strain failure of the metal/graphene interface. This theoretical strengthening mechanism is investigated by designing and fabricating NiTi/graphene composites.

This thesis work was conducted in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) and was submitted towards the partial fulfilment of the Masters Degree in Technology: Mechanical Engineering. / Recent years have witnessed a tremendous growth and significant advances in “smart” composites and “smart” composite structures. These smart composites integrate active elements such as sensors and actuators into a host structure to create improved or new functionalities through a clever choice of the active elements and/or a proper design of the structure. Such composites are able to sense a change in the environment and make a useful response by using an external feedback control system. Depending on their applications, smart composites usually make use of either the joint properties of the structure or the properties of the individual elements within the composites. The accumulation in the understanding of materials science and the rapid developments in computational capabilities have provided an even wider framework for the implementation of multi-functionality in composites and make “smart” composites “intelligent”.