Enhancing Interface Bonding and Electrical Conductivity of Copper/Carbon Composites

Carbon/copper composites are widely used in electrical engineering with good mechanical and electrical properties. However, the non-wettability between copper and carbon is a key bottleneck which limits high performance carbon/copper(C/Cu) composites. In this study, the C/Cu composites were prepared by using the iron (Fe) element in the copper melt to improve the carbon/copper wettability and enhance C/Cu interface bonding. The mechanical and electrical properties of the composites were obviously enhanced by the Fe
3
C interlayer generated at the C/Cu interface. In the Cu-8 wt% Fe/C system, the contact angle drops from 125° to 18° due to the Fe3C interlayer. In this case, the bending strength and electrical conductivity of the C/Cu composites increased by 77% and 358%, which has a good application prospect in the field of electrical contact material.