Preparation of graphene/Cu layered composites based on the self-assembly of flake powder

摘要

Graphene with ultrahigh tensile strength and excellent electrical and thermal conductivity has been regarded as a promising reinforcement of metal matrix composites. The key issues for preparation high performance graphene reinforced metal composites are to disperse graphene uniformly, align graphene in the metal matrix and enhance interfacial bonding strength between graphene and metal. In this work, powder metallurgy method based on the self-assembly of flake powder was adopted to prepare graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs)/Cu layered composites. 10 vol.% GNPs sheets with average thickness of 2 nm and average lateral size of 6 um were used. The microstructure observation shows that GNPs sheets are uniformly distributed and well aligned in the Cu matrix. No obvious voids and cracks are observed at the interface. The addition of fine GNPs leads to -31% higher tensile strength and approximately equal electrical conductivity compared to pure Cu.