Improvement of Mechanical Properties of Cu/Graphene Composite by <i>In Site</i> Reduction and Matrix Alloying with Titanium

To reduce the agglomeration of graphene and enhance the interface bonding between reduced graphene oxide (RGO) and copper substrate, copper plating on the graphene surface was prepared by the in-situ reduction method. To improve the strength of the copper matrix, the microalloying strategy of adding titanium to the matrix was adopted. By changing the mass fraction of titanium in the matrix, the optimum ratio of RGO was obtained( Ti mass fraction was 5:1), and the tensile strength was maximized. The results show that RGO did not agglomerate obviously in the matrix. At the same time, the composite powder could be densified rapidly by spark plasma sintering (SPS), which could effectively protect the original distribution of the additive phase in the matrix. In this paper, Cu@RGO/Cu-Ti was prepared and the strengthening mechanism of the composites discussed, providing a new insights into the interface design and carbide formation mechanism of advanced graphene/copper composites with high mechanical properties.