A novel approach to fabricate layered RGO/Cu composites with excellent mechanical properties.

The preparation of copper matrix composites with high graphene content is difficult, facing the problem of graphene agglomeration. This study proposed a layer-by-layer electrodeposition method to obtain the reduced graphene oxide/copper (RGO/Cu) composite with a layered structure. It was found that the layered distribution of RGO avoided the occurrence of agglomeration effectively, which was conducive to the excellent mechanical strength and toughness of the composite. The strength of the RGO/Cu composite increased with the number of layers, and the tensile strength of the 29-layer composite was 34.2 % higher than that of pure copper. While, its elongation remained at the same level as that of pure copper. The toughening and strengthening mechanism of layered RGO in the composite was analyzed by molecular dynamics simulation. Confinement on crack propagation and strain energy consumption by sliding of layered RGO were identified as the reason for maintaining the high toughness of the composite, and stress transfer, grain refinement and dislocation strengthening were contributed to the high tensile strength. • RGO/Cu composite with a layered structure was prepared by layer-by-layer electrodeposition. • Compared with pure copper, the tensile strength of 29-layer RGO/Cu increased by 34.2 %, while the toughness remained unchanged. • The toughening and strengthening mechanism of layered RGO in the composite was analyzed by molecular dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]