Study on Tribological Performance of Graphene/Copper Composites by Alloying Matrix with Chromium

How to improve the tribological properties of graphene/copper composites by optimizing the interface structure has become one of the important research directions in the field of graphene reinforced copper composites. Using copper chromium alloy (CuCr) as matrix material and reduced graphene oxide (RGO) as reinforcing phase, RGO/CuCr composites were prepared by solution stirring mixing and hot pressing sintering process. The antifriction and wear resistance of the composites before and after adding chromium were compared. Based on the analysis of the surface composition and morphology of the wear marks, the mechanism of the copper matrix chromium alloying on the tribological properties of graphene/copper composites was discussed. The results show that the alloyed copper matrix chromium makes the composite have smaller and more stable friction factor and lower specific wear rate, especially under high load conditions. The reason for the improvement is that the chromium alloying of copper matrix is beneficial to the formation of dense and continuous graphene-rich friction layer on the surface of the composite during the friction.