The Mechanisms of Electrical and Mechanical Coupling in Bi- Continuous Graphene-Metal Composite Fibers
Abstract
PROJECT SUMMARYThe Mechanisms of Electrical and Mechanical Coupling in Bi-Continuous Graphene-Metal Composite FibersApproved for Public ReleaseFuture ship platforms will require higher power and energy density due to the emerging weapon technologies including electromagnetic pulse weapons, streams of microwaves, electromagnetic railguns, and high-power lasers. To support the higher power demands, new electric conductors for on-ship power distribution systems must offer electrical, mechanical, and thermal properties far beyond conventional metal-based conductors. Nano/micro-scale carbon materials, such as carbon nanotubes and graphene flakes, offer excellent electrical properties, extraordinary mechanical strength, and the highest thermal conductivity at the nanoscale. To exploit the attractive advantages at the macroscale, these carbon materials are often dispersed in a metal matrix to synthesize macroscopic carbon-metal composite conductors. One intrinsic limitation of this approach is the unavoidable, discontinuous interfaces between thedispersed small carbon materials and the much larger metal matrix because the discontinuous carbon microstructures result in material property degradation. For electrical applications, considerable electron scattering will occur at the discontinuous interfaces aselectrons move along the composite conductor. Therefore, such conductors, despite the advantages of carbon materials, suffer from considerably lower electrical conductivity than pure copper. Similarly, premature mechanical failure will occur when mechanical load transfers through the discontinuous carbon-metal interfaces with limited mechanical strength. One possible way to overcome the intrinsic limitation of the current approach using nano/micro-scale carbon materials is to eliminate the non-continuous interfaces, e.g.,imagine fibers/wires consisting of an axially continuous graphene tube and a metal core. Despite the great potential of this innovative approach, the exact mechanism(s) of how graphene and metal interplay in the scope of electrical and mechanical property enhancements are not well understood. As a result, optimization and scale-up of the current graphene-metal composites are technically limited. This proposal aims to address the current technical challenges in the DoD sector through development and effective electric conductors combined with scientific understanding of their electrical and mechanical coupling in the scope of material property enhancements.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Apr 12, 2023
- Source ID
- N000142312388
Entities
People
- Wonmo Kang
Organizations
- Arizona State University
- Office of Naval Research
- United States Navy