Since the first report in 1970s, W–Cu composites have attracted extensive attentions owing to their outstanding integrated properties of high hardness, wear resistance and electrical conductivity and low thermal expansion coefficient. This article reviewed recent important progress in the fields of preparation, microstructural characterization, and mechanical and physical properties of W–Cu composites. Particularly, new technologies for microstructure refinement and strategies to enhance the comprehensive performance were summarized and evaluated. The future promising research issues, which may break though the bottleneck of existing performance level of W–Cu composites and facilitate the development of other refractory/non-ferrous metals based nanocomposites, were proposed.
- Chao Hou
- Xiaoyan Song
- Zuoren Nie
