Highly efficient enhancement of mechanical and tribological properties of Cu-based composites by addition of graphene-loaded Ni metal particles

The tight interface between graphene and Cu is the key to give full play to the comprehensive properties of Cu/C composites. In this study, reduced graphene oxide(RGO) was used as a reinforcing phase of Cu marix, and the interfacial bonding strength between RGO and Cu was enhanced by introducing Ni metal nanoparticles. RGO supported Ni nanosheets (Ni-RGO) were successfully prepared by in -situ chemical reduction of graphene oxide (GO) and the introduction of Ni nanoparticles into GO. Ni nanoparticles were tightly attached to the graphene sheets. The mechanical properties and tribological properties of Ni-RGO/Cu composites were significantly improved. The bending strength of Ni-RGO/Cu composites reached 162.2 MPa, which was much higher than that of the pure Cu. At the same time, Ni-RGO composites have the lowest wear rate, and the friction coefficient is stable between 0.1 and 0.2. The comprehensive performance of Ni-RGO composites is significantly enhanced due to the unique structure of Ni-RGO, and the introduction of Ni nanoparticles realizes the effective bonding between GO-Ni-Cu. This study provides a new and effective strategy for enhancing the interfacial bonding of Cu/C composites.