Thermal CVD growth of graphene on copper particles targeting tungsten-copper composites with superior wear and arc ablation resistance properties

Tungsten copper (WCu) composite has been widely applied in the fields of electrical contacts, heat exchanger and electronic packing materials, due to its high melting point, high hardness of tungsten (W) as well as superior electrical and thermal conductivities of copper (Cu). However, the ease of high-temperature arc ablation hinders the practical application of WCu in high-voltage environment. Herein, we devise an in-situ wrapping strategy to grow graphene over Cu particles for preparing high-performance WCu composite via thermal chemical vapor deposition (CVD). Distinct from the traditional graphene wrappings, our thermal CVD-enabled low-defect graphene achieves not only its uniform dispersion in the matrix but also strong interface affinity with W particles, thus endowing the composite with desirable mechanical properties and excellent electrical conductivity. Particularly, the wear rate of our sample is approximately 76% lower compared to that of WCu. Moreover, both the arc ablation resistance and electrical conductivity properties of our sample are significantly improved due to the in-situ thermal CVD growth of graphene.