# Advancing Copper Wire Technology: Graphene/Cu Composites for Superior Conductivity and Strength  
[PERSON]  
1 State Key Laboratory of Advanced Power Transmission Technology, Beijing 102209, China;  
[EMAIL_ADDRESS] (W.L. ); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (Y.H. ); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (J.Z. );  
[EMAIL_ADDRESS] (C.Z. )1  
[PERSON]  
1 State Key Laboratory of Advanced Power Transmission Technology, Beijing 102209, China;  
[EMAIL_ADDRESS] (W.L. ); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (Y.H. ); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (J.Z. );  
[EMAIL_ADDRESS] (C.Z. )1  
[PERSON]  
1 State Key Laboratory of Advanced Power Transmission Technology, Beijing 102209, China;  
[EMAIL_ADDRESS] (W.L. ); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (Y.H. ); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (J.Z. );  
[EMAIL_ADDRESS] (C.Z. )1  
[PERSON]  
1 State Key Laboratory of Advanced Power Transmission Technology, Beijing 102209, China;  
[EMAIL_ADDRESS] (W.L. ); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (Y.H. ); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (J.Z. );  
[EMAIL_ADDRESS] (C.Z. )1  
[PERSON]  
1 State Key Laboratory of Advanced Power Transmission Technology, Beijing 102209, China;  
[EMAIL_ADDRESS] (W.L. ); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (Y.H. ); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (J.Z. );  
[EMAIL_ADDRESS] (C.Z. )1  
Footnote 1: [[https://www.mdpi.com/journal/applsci](https://www.mdpi.com/journal/applsci)]([https://www.mdpi.com/journal/applsci](https://www.mdpi.com/journal/applsci))  
Footnote 2: [[https://www.mdpi.com/](https://www.mdpi.com/)]([https://www.mdpi.com/](https://www.mdpi.com/))  
Footnote 3: [[https://www.mdpi.com/journals/pdf/pdf/12/](https://www.mdpi.com/journals/pdf/pdf/12/)]([https://www.mdpi.com/journals/pdf/pdf/12/](https://www.mdpi.com/journals/pdf/pdf/12/))  
development of copper-based materials that can simultaneously exhibit high strength and high conductivity has thus become a key focus of current research. The composite approach is increasingly favored as it offers a synergistic enhancement of both conductivity and strength, making it a prominent strategy in material science. This approach is viewed as a solution to the historical trade-off between strength and conductivity in copper materials, and innovations in copper composites are at the forefront of overcoming these longstanding limitations. Through strategic development and application of these composite materials, the potential for revolutionizing the performance characteristics of copper and its alloys is significant. Graphene, owing to its exceptional electrical, mechanical, and thermal properties conferred by its unique two-dimensional structure, is considered an ideal reinforcement phase in copper-based composite materials [13; 14; 15]. The effective integration of graphene with copper holds the promise of harnessing the strengths of both materials to produce composites with enhanced strength and electrical conductivity [4; 16]. However, challenges persist due to the tendency of graphene to aggregate during fabrication as a result of van der Waals forces [17], which reduce surface energy and cause uneven dispersion. This aggregation introduces defects that significantly impair the electrical and mechanical properties of the composites. Additionally, poor wettability between graphene and the copper matrix leads to weak interfacial bonding, which not only compromises the deformability during processing but also enhances electron scattering at the interface, adversely affecting the conductivity [18; 19]. Addressing the uniform dispersion of graphene within the copper matrix and strengthening their interfacial bonding continues to be a formidable challenge. Several techniques have been developed to tackle these issues, including mechanical ball milling [20], molecular level mixing (MLM) [21], electrochemical deposition [22], physical vapor deposition (PVD) [23], and chemical vapor deposition (CVD) [24]. Although electrochemical deposition struggles with precise control over the composition and structure of graphene and copper, MLM often employs graphene oxide (GO), which, despite ensuring a uniform dispersion of graphene, is typically of lower quality and possesses numerous defects.