Copper-graphene nanocomposite fabrication through LP-DED process: Powder preparation, characterization and printability studies

Abstract

Copper and its alloys play a crucial role in various engineering applications due to their excellent conductive properties. However, their poor laser absorptivity and high conductivity make them a complex material to work with using laser additive manufacturing processes, hindering the ease of fabrication of precise and complex geometries. To overcome this challenge, graphene-reinforced copper powders were employed to enhance laser absorptivity. With graphene addition, there was a substantial increase in the laser absorptivity. The addition of graphene improved laser absorptivity from 15 % for pure copper to ~60 % in Gr-Cu composites. However, the flowability deteriorated at higher compositions, which could result from increased specific surface area due to graphene agglomeration and its nanoscale surface. The influence of graphene on the ease of fabrication employing laser powder-directed energy deposition was evaluated with a single-track and bulk deposition. A single-track study revealed that pure copper tracks were inconsistent and exhibited poor bonding due to their poor laser absorptivity. Meanwhile, graphene?copper composite tracks displayed stable melt pools and uniform tracks, which could result from enhanced absorptivity. Geometrically sound and defect-free Gr-Cu tracks were deposited using 750 W laser power with composite powders, while pure copper tracks at 950 W laser power deposition yielded defective tracks. However, a graphene percentage above 0.1 % resulted in the formation of keyhole porosity due to a significant enhancement in laser absorption (~60 %). A similar observation was made for bulk deposition, i.e., defect-free deposition for Gr-Cu composites ?0.1 % graphene and keyhole porosities in the deposition of 0.25Gr-Cu and 0.8Gr-Cu. © 2024 The Society of Manufacturing Engineers