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

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 multiscale 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.