Feature size coupling effect of nanolaminated graphene/copper composites

MR Zhang and T Fu and ZY Fang and SY Weng and XH Peng, INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MECHANICAL SCIENCES, 227, 107469 (2022).

DOI: 10.1016/j.ijmecsci.2022.107469

The feature sizes (the thickness of the metal layer, h, and in-plane grain size, d) as well as their coupling synergistically affect the mechanical properties of nanolaminated graphene/metal composites. However, previous works, including numerical calculations and theoretical models, mainly focused on the effect of one feature size. In this work, we investigated the effect of the feature sizes and their coupling on the mechanical properties of nanolaminated polycrystalline graphene/polycrystalline copper (PGr/PCu) composites under uniaxial compression using molecular dynamics simulation. It was found that h has a significant influence on both the elastic and plastic stage of the PGr/PCu, but the dependence of the plastic stage on d is associated with h, governed by different deformation mechanisms. Accordingly, five dislocation propagation modes were observed in the nanolaminated PGr/PCu composites. Finally, the Hall-Petch and inverse Hall-Petch law and confined layer slip model were extended to quantitatively describe the strengthening effect of PGr/PCu. The results and the model presented are of great significance to the development and application of laminated heterogeneous composites with multiple feature sizes.

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