Designing a novel carbonized polypyrrole nanotubes (C-PNTs) reinforced copper composite with good combination of mechanical–electrical and anti-corrosion properties

Abstract

In this study, a novel carbon-based nanomaterial, namely carbonized polypyrrole nanotubes (C-PNTs), were adopted to fabricate copper composites by powder metallurgy process. C-PNTs displayed excellent self-dispersion characteristics and inherent interface bonding, attributable to the distinctive corrugated configuration on the prismatic surface and abundance of nitrogen doping. A comprehensive comparison with commercially available carbon nanotubes (CNTs)/Cu composites demonstrated that 0.3 vol% C-PNTs/Cu composites achieved a concurrent enhancement in mechanical–electrical properties (tensile strength: 436 MPa, electrical conductivity: 90.0 % IACS). Furthermore, C-PNTs/Cu composites exhibited higher corrosion potential (-0.431 V) and reduced corrosion current density (6.3 μA/cm2), signifying their superior corrosion resistance in comparison to pure copper. The insights garnered from this investigation offer valuable direction for the advancement of novel C-PNTs/Cu composites materials.