N-doped graphene-based copper nanocomposite with ultralow electrical resistivity and high thermal conductivity

Abstract Nanocomposite with a room-temperature ultra-low resistivity far below that of conventional metals like copper is considered as the next generation conductor. However, many technical and scientific problems are encountered in the fabrication of such nanocomposite materials at present. Here, we report the rapid and efficient fabrication and characterization of a novel nitrogen-doped graphene-copper nanocomposite. Silk fibroin was used as a precursor and placed on a copper substrate, followed by the microwave plasma treatment. This resulted nitrogen-doped graphene-copper composite possesses an electrical resistivity of 0.16 µΩ·cm at room temperature, far lower than that of copper. In addition, the composite has superior thermal conductivity (538 W/m·K at 25 °C) which is 138% of copper. The combination of excellent thermal conductivity and ultra-low electrical resistivity opens up potentials in next-generation conductors.