@article{Liu2025, 
author = {Yi Liu and Chuang Hou and Maoping Xu and Haibo Zhang and Jiamin Wu and Guoan Tai},
title = {Dendritic borophene-guided reinforcement strategy for high-performance copper structural composites},
year = {2025},
journal = {Nano Research},
volume = {18},
number = {12},
pages = {94908167},
keywords = {chemical vapor deposition, mechanical properties, borophene, dendritic crystal, reinforcing copper matrix composites},
url = {https://www.sciopen.com/article/10.26599/NR.2025.94908167},
doi = {10.26599/NR.2025.94908167},
abstract = {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.}
}