Reaction-tunable diffusion bonding to multilayered Cu mesh/ZK61 Mg foil composites with thermal conductivity and lightweight synergy

The thermal properties of Mg alloys require further optimization to encounter the increasingly severe heat dissipation demands of high-power densities and highly integrated electronic components. In this study, a novel strategy of reaction-tunable diffusion bonding (RDB) was applied to manipulate the interfacial reaction in the multilayered Cu mesh/ZK61 Mg foil composites. The displacement of the punch was utilized to quantify the degree of reactive diffusion with adjustable, visible, and high flexibility. The interface was artificially manipulated to produce the fluid Mg–Zn eutectic liquid phase filling the interfacial gap at high temperature for a short time, followed by diffusion bonding at low temperature. The thermal conductivity of the composites first increased and then decreased, which was synthetically affected by the amelioration of metallurgical bonding and the moderately reactive consumption of Cu. The reinforcement Cu was converted from the Hasselman–Johnson model to the Rayleigh model, reflecting the optimization of the interfacial bonding quality. The composites with thermal conductivity and lightweight synergy were fabricated successfully. Therefore, RDB is a progressive technique, shedding lights on the innovative lightweight metal matrix composites with high thermal conductivities relevant to the 5G communications and new energy vehicle industries.