Enhancement of mechanical and electrical properties of copper matrix composites by different types of carbon nanotubes

Copper-based composites with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as the reinforcing phase possess excellent comprehensive mechanical and electrical properties and have received widespread attention in the electronics industry in recent years. However, a handful of studies concerns CNTs reinforced copper matrix composites with different wall layers. In this study, multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) were selected. An improved molecular-level blending method was exploited to produce copper matrix composites reinforced by MWCNTs and SWCNTs in our study. The characterization results showed that the copper coated MWCNTs and SWCNTs were evenly distributed in the copper matrix and ensured the connection structure tightly between CNTs as heterogeneous strengthening factors and the copper matrix. Meanwhile, in the mechanical property test, the MWCNTs/Cu composite material had the highest tensile strength (262.5 MPa), which was 23.6 % higher than pure copper and 12.6 % higher than the SWCNTs/Cu composite materials. In addition, in the electrical performance test, MWCNTs/Cu and SWCNTs/Cu composites all possessed excellent electrical conductivity, 95 % IACS and 96 % IACS, respectively. The research work in this paper can be extended to the development of ultra-light copper and copper alloy electronic devices and provide a reference for future research on CNTs augmented metal matrix composites.