Electrodeposition-based fabrication of graphene/copper composites with excellent overall properties

Graphene reinforced copper composites (Gr/Cu) have considerable potential applications in many fields of modern industry. However, the present preparation methods are complicated, expensive, and time-consuming, which restricts the large-scale application. Therefore, it is vital to find an industrial method to prepare Gr/Cu composites with overall properties. In this work, Gr/Cu composites were prepared by combining electrodeposition of Gr/Cu powders, thermal reduction, and sintering (denoted as the EP-TS method). The composite shows outstanding overall properties when the current density is 62.5 mA/cm2 and the graphene oxide (GO) concentration in the electrolyte is 0.1 g/L. The addition of graphene promotes the nucleation process and refines the grains resulting in improved mechanical properties. During the process of electrodepositing and thermal reduction, the copper matrix is purified and most of the oxygen-containing functional groups of GO are removed. And the GO structure is partially repaired resulting in improved electrical properties. Compared with the one-step electrodeposition method, the graphene in the composites has fewer oxygen-containing functional groups which guarantee the thermal stability of the Gr/Cu composite. Our method provides a promising prospect for rapid mass production of graphene reinforced copper matrix composites with excellent overall properties, which has good compatibility with current copper industry technology.