Investigation of mechanical properties of Copper-Graphene composites in terms of production methods and additive ratios: A review

Copper (Cu) is a ductile material with excellent electrical and thermal conductivity. It is widely used in many industries including automotive, electronics and electricity. However, the mechanical properties of copper are relatively poor. Graphene or graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) have outstanding properties such as high strength, high young modulus, and large surface area. In this way, they significantly change the mechanical properties when used as reinforcement in metal matrix composites. In particular, in the field of powder metallurgy (PM), the properties of metallic matrix composites produced with these two materials are still under study. In the production of powdered metal components, the type of additive is important in terms of production cost. As the proportion of additives in the manufactured part increases, the production cost will increase accordingly. This study aims to determine which fabrication methods are used to obtain the highest mechanical properties values with the lowest amount of graphene contribution for Cu -GNP composites. The percentages of additives used in the studies are indicated together with the consolidation and mixing methods to prove the above -mentioned purpose. Thus, it has been determined by which production methods the studies with the highest percentage increase in mechanical properties were produced by using the optimum additive ratio for Cu -GNP metal matrix composites. In this regard, the highest hardness value was obtained with 118% increase percentage, by High pressure torsion method. In another study, Electro-co-deposition method were applied. As a result, the highest tensile strength value increased by 110%. The highest increase in yield strength value was obtained by Spark plasma sintering method with 239%. In addition, the effects of different additives were also examined. Other inferences from the studies are given in the result and discussion section.