Investigation on electrical properties of Cu matrix composite reinforced by multi-walled carbon nanotubes

Abstract

Multi-walled Carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) have been considered as an ideal reinforcing element to improve the electrical properties of many materials. In this paper, we report the results on synthesis and calculation of electrical resistivity and specific conductivity of copper matrix reinforced with multi-walled carbon nanotubes. Cu/MWCNTs composite was synthesized by the electro-co-deposition method. Based on the experimental results, we determined the electrical resistivity and specific conductivity of the Cu/MWCNTs composites. The morphological and structural properties of prepared composite powder were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) testing respectively. Test results shows that, specific conductivity of the composite is increased by 20.26 % compared to that of pure Cu.