TY  - JOUR
AU  - Liu, Yi
AU  - Hou, Chuang
AU  - Xu, Maoping
AU  - Zhang, Haibo
AU  - Wu, Jiamin
AU  - Tai, Guoan
PY  - 2025
TI  - Dendritic borophene-guided reinforcement strategy for high-performance copper structural composites
JO  - Nano Research
SN  - 1998-0124
SP  - 94908167
VL  - 18
IS  - 12
AB  - The integration of two-dimensional (2D) materials into metal matrices represents a compelling strategy for creating next-generation structural materials with synergistic mechanical and functional properties. Among these, borophene offers exceptional theoretical stiffness (398 N/m), tunable electrical character, and structural polymorphism. However, the scalable synthesis of crystalline borophene and its practical integration into metal matrices remain formidable challenges. Here, we report a breakthrough bottom-up strategy for the controlled chemical vapor deposition (CVD) of large-scale, single-crystalline α'-4H-borophene directly on Cu (111) surface using B2H6 gas. By controlling growth kinetics, a dendritic borophene morphology is obtained to promote mechanical interlocking. This in-situ fabrication creates an integrated borophene/copper composite, exhibiting a remarkable simultaneous enhancement in both strength and stiffness. Compared with pristine copper, the borophene-reinforced composites show significant mechanical enhancements: an increase of 71% in Young’s modulus (113.5 to 194.3 GPa), a higher yield strength of 323% (69 to 292 MPa), and a greater ultimate tensile strength of 43% (228 to 325 MPa). These improvements exceed those of other reported 2D material-reinforced Cu composites, establishing borophene’s potential for structural applications and offering a novel synthesis pathway for advanced metal-matrix composites reinforced with 2D materials.
UR  - https://doi.org/10.26599/NR.2025.94908167
DO  - 10.26599/NR.2025.94908167