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Aluminum alloy (Al6061) is an eminent aerospace and automotive material, but its poor wear-resistance can be circumvented by friction stir process (FSP) via microstructural modification. Herein, carbonaceous particles (graphite, carbon nanotubes and graphene) are reinforced in order to assess their effect on mechanical and tribological properties of FSP Al6061. Raman spectroscopy has indicated the retention of damaged carbonaceous product in the stir zone due the intense plastic deformation and shear stresses involved in the FSP. Damage of carbonaceous particles was further confirmed from the transmission electron microscopy. Surface peak-hardness was observed to increase (~ 1.3 GPa) for graphene reinforced composite when compared to that of untreated Al6061 (~ 0.5 GPa) due to grain refinement (50–100 nm). A substantial reduction in Hertzian-contact-diameter from 117 μm in unprocessed Al6061 …