Radiation damage resistance and interface stability of copper–graphene nanolayered composite

The radiation damage resistance and interface stability of copper–graphene nanolayered composite are studied by atomistic simulations. Results show that the number of surviving point defects in bulk region is always less than that of pure copper at 100 K, when the range of initial distance d between a primary knock-on atom (PKA) with 3 keV and copper–graphene interface is less than 4 nm. The above phenomenon also occurs at 300, 500, and 700 K when d is ∼15.4 Å, thereby implying that the composite resulting from copper–graphene interfaces exhibits excellent ability to resist radiation damage. A higher PKA energy corresponds to worse radiation damage of graphene in the composite. The damage may impair interface stability and eventually weaken the radiation damage resistance of the composite.