journal article·2026-06-24

Kilogram‐Scale Synthesis of Few‐Layer Graphene‐Skinned Copper Powders via Pulsed‐Pressure Chemical Vapor Deposition

Bofei Wang, Chang Shi, Xingwei Huang, Xiaobo Sun, Zhen Jia, Qiming Cai, Wenjie Liu, Yanyan Dong, Dan Sun, Qi Cai, Yao Song, Sicong Zheng, Fan Yang, Xu Wang, Buhang Chen, Junfeng Wang, Junqiang Wang, Mengwei Li, Yi Ding, Luzhao Sun, Zhongfan Liu

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Abstract

ABSTRACT Copper powders are essential components in electronics and manufacturing but suffer from rapid surface oxidation. Graphene encapsulation offers an effective protective strategy; however, conventional chemical vapor deposition (CVD) methods face challenges such as particle sintering, poor coverage due to inefficient precursor transport, and self‐limited monolayer growth. Here, we report a scalable pulsed‐pressure CVD strategy for kilogram‐scale preparation of few‐layer graphene‐skinned copper powders. This method employs graphite powder as a physical spacer to prevent sintering, while a unique cyclic pressure modulation actively enhances precursor penetration throughout the powder bed. The resulting powders feature a conformal few‐layer graphene skin (3–5 layers) with 98.2% surface coverage and high crystallinity. They exhibit exceptional oxidation resistance, showing an approximately 20‑fold lower oxygen uptake than bare copper after 30 min at 190°C in air. The graphene‐copper composites consolidated from these powders show an ∼8% higher thermal conductivity and an ∼3% higher electrical conductivity than pure copper. This work provides a viable pathway for large‐scale production of high‐performance graphene‐metal composites, opening new opportunities for advanced conductive and thermal management applications.
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Research context

OpenAlex topics: Nanomaterials and Printing Technologies · Graphene research and applications · Aluminum Alloys Composites Properties

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Affiliations

Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Research North University of China Taiyuan P. R. China

Technology Innovation Center of Graphene Metrology and Standardization for State Market Regulation Beijing Graphene Institute Beijing P. R. China

Center for Nanochemistry, Beijing Science and Engineering Center For Nanocarbons, Beijing National Laboratory For Molecular Sciences, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering Peking University Beijing P. R. China

School of Materials Science and Engineering Peking University Beijing P. R. China

China Electric Power Research Institute (State Key Laboratory of Advanced Power Transmission Technology) Beijing P. R. China

Funding

National Natural Science Foundation of China · Natural Science Foundation of Beijing Municipality · National Key Research and Development Program of China

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