Thermal Conductivity of Copper Matrix Composites Reinforced with Multi-wall Carbon Nanotubes

Abstract

Abstract Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) reinforced with metal matrix composites (MMCs) have attracted an increasing interest due to their promising properties. One of the challenges in metal matrix-CNTs composites research is producing a uniform dispersion of CNTs. A poor dispersion of CNTs within the matrix, attributed to strong CNTs entanglement caused by Van der Waals forces. In this study, Cu/CNTs composites have been successfully fabricated by the powder metallurgy (PM) route. The thermal conductivity of Cu/CNTs composites showed that the thermal conductivity decreased after the incorporation of CNTs. The analysis revealed that the interfacial thermal resistance between the Cu matrix and CNTs plays a significant role in determining the thermal conductivity performances. Besides, the influences of porosity and distribution of CNTs also affected the thermal conductivity results.