Manipulating mechanical properties of graphene/Al composites by an in-situ synthesized hybrid reinforcement strategy

Abstract

The structural deterioration caused by the relatively weak out-of-plane bending stiffness and the chemically-active edge area of graphene limits its outperformance in strengthening for Al matrix composites (AMCs). Introducing one-dimensional (1D) carbon nanotubes (CNTs) to graphene/metal system is one of the promised strategies to complement the weakness of 2D graphene and make full use of the outstanding intrinsic properties of the both reinforcements. To date, such synergistic strengthening and toughening mechanisms are largely unknown. In this study, AMCs reinforced by a novel hybrid reinforcement, i.e., graphene nanosheets decorated with Cu nanoparticles and CNTs (Cu@GNS-CNTs), are fabricated by an in-situ synthesis method. The combined contrast experiments validated that the organically integrated reinforcing structure promotes the intrinsic load bearing capacity of GNS and the strain hardening capability of the Al matrix simultaneously. As a result, the composites achieved excellent tensile strength and uniform elongation with almost no loss. The strengthening mechanism originated primarily from the hybrid reinforcement exhibits superior load-transfer, fracture inhibition and dislocation storage capability by controlling the interface reaction to construct an effective interface structure without damaging the reinforcement. Our work identifies a promising structural modification strategy for 2D materials and provides mechanistic insights into the synergistic strengthening effect of graphene/CNTs hybrid reinforcement.