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Attaining synergetic equilibrium of electrical conductivity and tensile strength in GQDs@GN/Cu composites through multi-scale intragranular and intergranular reinforcements

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Abstract

The configuration and quality of reinforcements, as well as the robustness of interfacial bonding, holding a critical significance in determining the concurrence between electrical conductivity and mechanical strength in metal matrix composites. In this study, citric acid was employed as the precursor for synthesizing multi-scale carbon nanomaterials (graphene quantum dots and graphene, abbreviated as GQDs and GN). The GQDs@GN/Cu composites were fabricated through a segmented ball milling process in conjunction with subsequent spark plasma sintering (SPS). The intragranular GQDs and intergranular GQDs@GN had synergistically reinforced Cu composites through Orowan strengthening, load transfer strengthening and refinement strengthening. Furthermore, the robust interface bonding between GQDs@GN and Cu effectively mitigated interfacial impedance stemming from electron-boundary scattering. The yield strength and ultimate tensile strength of the GQDs@GN/Cu composites were recorded as 270 and 314 MPa, respectively, representing an improvement of 92 and 28% over pure Cu, while maintaining electrical conductivity at a level comparable to that of pure Cu. This study advances the understanding of the possibility of realizing a synergistic compatibility between electrical conductivity and mechanical strength in Cu composites.

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摘要

增强体的结构和质量以及界面结合的强度对于金属基复合材料的导电性和强度的兼容性具有至关重要的意义。本研究以柠檬酸为前驱体合成了多尺度碳纳米材料(石墨烯量子点和石墨烯, 简称GQDs和GN)。GQDs@GN/Cu复合材料是通过分段球磨工艺 (SBM) 和随后的SPS烧结制备。晶粒内GQDs和晶间GQDs@GN通过Orowan强化、载荷传递强化和细化强化协同增强Cu复合材料。此外, GQDs@GN和Cu之间强的界面结合有效地减轻了电子界面散射引起的界面阻抗。GQDs@GN/Cu复合材料的屈服强度和极限抗拉强度分别为270 MPa和314 MPa, 比纯Cu提高了92%和28%, 并且其电导率与纯Cu的差异不大。这项研究对制备高强高导的Cu基复合材料具有指导意义。

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Acknowledgements

This work is financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 52174345 and 52064032) and the Science and Technology Major Project of Yunnan Province (No. 202202AG050004).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Materials Science and Engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, 650093, China

    Shuang-Yin Zhang, Liang Liu, Rui Bao & Jian-Hong Yi

  2. Key Laboratory of Advanced Materials of Yunnan Province, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, 650093, China

    Liang Liu

  3. Faculty of Materials Metallurgy and Chemistry, Jiangxi University of Science and Technology, Ganzhou, 341000, China

    Sheng-Da Guo

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Zhang, SY., Liu, L., Bao, R. et al. Attaining synergetic equilibrium of electrical conductivity and tensile strength in GQDs@GN/Cu composites through multi-scale intragranular and intergranular reinforcements. Rare Met. 43, 366–379 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12598-023-02391-0

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