Enhancing strength-ductility synergy of graphene/Al-Cu-Mg composites via forming MgAl2O4@graphene complex structure

The strength and ductility of graphene nanoplate (GNP) reinforced 2009Al composite (GNP/2009Al) were enhanced simultaneously, through wrapping MgAl2O4 around GNP and forming an MgAl2O4@GNP complex structure via in-situ reaction of CuO, Al and Mg during fabrication. This architecture generated numerous Al-MgAl2O4-GNP complex interfaces due to crystallographic orientation relationship of the Al-MgAl2O4 inter-face and the strong Al-O-C chemical bond, therefore, it not only enhances the load transfer efficiency of GNP but also improves the dislocation storage capacity of the Al matrix. These factors contributed to a stable and persistent working hardening capability for the GNP/2009Al composite. The feasible design proposed in this work, namely the in-situ Al-MgAl2O4-GNP complex strategy, can achieve improved tensile properties in GNP/ 2009Al composites.