Graphene is considered a promising reinforcement to improve the electrical conductivity of metals because of its excellent intrinsic electrical conductivity. However, graphene/Al matrix composites with enhanced electrical conductivity have not yet been reported. In this work, it is attempted to understand the factors influencing the electrical conductivity of graphene embedded in an Al matrix by adjusting the interfacial structure and composition. By sandwiching graphene (Gr) or graphene oxide (GO) with either pristine or passivated Al foils, three kinds of typical composite interfaces are successfully fabricated: pristine‐Al/Gr/pristine‐Al (Al/Gr/Al), passivated‐Al/Gr/passivated‐Al (Al‐O/Gr/O‐Al), and pristine‐Al/GO/pristine‐Al (Al/GO/Al). As revealed by electrical current mapping of the interfacial area, the Gr layer in the sandwiched Al/Gr/Al composite shows an electrical conductivity ≈70 times higher than that of the surrounding Al matrix. Gr with a high electrical conductivity is not observed in the Al‐O/Gr/O‐Al and Al/GO/Al composites. The mechanisms are understood by microstructural characterizations and first‐principle calculations. The results indicate that high‐quality Gr and metal–Gr contact are simultaneously needed to improve the electrical conductivity of Al by incorporating graphene.

中文翻译：

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界面结构对嵌入铝基石墨烯中电导率的影响

石墨烯因其优异的固有电导率而被认为是改善金属电导率的有希望的增强剂。然而，尚未报道具有增强的电导率的石墨烯/ Al基复合材料。在这项工作中，试图通过调节界面结构和组成来了解影响嵌入在Al基体中的石墨烯电导率的因素。通过将石墨烯（Gr）或氧化石墨烯（GO）夹在原始或钝化的铝箔中，可以成功制作出三种典型的复合界面：原始Al / Gr /原始Al（Al / Gr / Al），钝化Al / Gr /钝化铝（Al-O / Gr / O-Al）和原始铝/ GO /原始铝（Al / GO / Al）。正如界面区域的电流映射所揭示的那样，夹心的Al / Gr / Al复合材料中的Gr层的电导率比周围的Al基体高约70倍。在Al-O / Gr / O-Al和Al / GO / Al复合材料中未观察到高导​​电率的Gr。通过微观结构表征和第一性原理计算可以理解这些机理。结果表明，通过掺入石墨烯同时需要高质量的Gr和金属-Gr接触来提高Al的电导率。