High-quality graphene directly grown on Cu nanoparticles for Cu-graphene nanocomposites

High-quality graphene was directly grown on the surface of Cu nanoparticles (NPs) via chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and then the graphene-covered Cu NPs were consolidated into dense Cu-graphene nanocomposites at different temperature. The surface of Cu NPs is Well protected fromoxidation due to the coverage of graphene. Nanocomposite consolidated at 650 degrees C (Cu/G-650) exhibits a hardness of 2.53 GPa with no distinctive different electrical resistivity compared with pure Cu, 2 orders ofmagnitude decrease in wear rate and 175% improvement in the coefficient of friction (COF) were reported for the Cu/G-650 nanocomposite as compared with pure Cu. The formation of graphene tribofilm is attributed for the effective protection of the Cu matrix from wear. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.