Multi-layered copper foil reinforced by co-deposition of single-walled carbon nanotube based on electroplating technique

[Display omitted] •Single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) was co-deposited with metallic Cu.•Effect of SWCNT dispersibility on morphology of electrodeposited Cu/SWCNT was studied.•Conjunction with atomization process and surfactants disintegrate SWCNT bundle effectively.•Multi-layered Cu-Cu/SWCNT-Cu foils exhibited greater mechanical properties. For the realization of high-performance power electronics, further improvements to thermal and electrical conductivities are required. Although much effort has been put into revealing the excellent physical properties of SWCNTs in conventional Cu-based materials, the aggregation/bundles of SWCNTs induced by strong van der Waals interaction complicates the preparation of Cu/SWCNT and has been still challenging to solve. In this work, we tried to prepare Cu/SWCNT composites using an electroplating technique based on co-deposition. Utilizing not only cationic surfactant trimethyloctadecylammonium chloride (STAC) but also an atomization process involving shear stress, SWCNTs were successfully immobilized inside a Cu metal matrix to form a Cu/SWCNT sheet without significant loss of crystallinity for SWCNTs, which was confirmed by using Raman spectroscopy. A multi-layered Cu-Cu/SWCNT-Cu foil with an intermediate thickness of 4 μm exhibited higher mechanical properties of 519 MPa strength and approximately 10% elongation compared to that of an electroplated Cu foil without SWCNTs. This is probably because cross-linking SWCNTs strongly immobilized between Cu crystals suppressed further crack generation by increasing fracture resistance. The obtained results indicate that this electroplating method is a promising way to prepare Cu/SWCNT composites.