S The need for fully dense material with well-engineered microstructures has led to the promising emergence of innovative sintering technologies among which the Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS) is one of the most favorite. Unlike the conventional sintering processes, SPS takes advantage of a current flow passing through the sintering die and metallic powders by which fast densification with minimal grain growth and enhanced physicomechanical properties can be obtained. Albeit there is a growing interest in the exploitation of SPS in producing sufficiently consolidated metallic parts, no analytical review has been released over the effects of SPS parameters on the densification behavior, microstructure evolution, and resultant physicomechanical properties of metallic parts and their alloys. In the present review, recent developments and ongoing challenges in modeling the SPS of metallic systems are thoroughly explored. Then, the effects of main SPS parameters including sintering temperature, dwell time, heating rate, and pressure on the microstructure and physicomechanical properties of metals and alloys are comprehensively investigated. These properties are categorized into two groups: (i) physical properties including relative density, electrical and thermal conductivities; (ii) mechanical properties with a systematic focus on hardness, elastic modulus, and tensile, compressive, and bending strengths. In each section, the general trends along which SPS parameters grow to affect each corresponding property are comprehensively discussed. Additionally, various microstructural phenomena being more likely to occur at the given metallic systems are fully addressed. The present work seeks to elaborate on the aforementioned issues and provide an overview of the unresolved challenges and proposed solutions to them.

The inclusion of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) into metallic systems has been the main focus of recent literature. The aim behind this approach has been the development of a new property or improvement of an inferior one in CNT-dispersed metal matrix nanocomposites. Although it has opened up new possibilities for promising engineering applications, some practical challenges have restricted the full exploitation of CNTs’ unique characteristics. Non-uniform dispersion of CNTs in the metallic matrix, poor interfacial adhesion at the CNT/metal interface, the unfavorable chemical reaction of CNTs with the matrix, and low compactability are the most significant challenges, requiring more examination. The present paper provides a broad overview of the mentioned challenges, the way they occur, and their adverse influences on the physicomechanical properties of CNT-reinforced metal matrix nanocomposites. The suggested solutions to these issues are fully addressed.

Recently, a wide variety of research works have focused on carbon nanotube (CNT)–ceramic matrix nanocomposites.