Effect of molybdenum as interfacial element on the thermal conductivity of diamond/Cu composites

[Display omitted] ► Coating Mo on diamond particle improves thermal conductivity of composite. ► Mo2C and Mo layer bond diamond and Cu effectively. ► Calculation indicates the possibility of further increase of thermal conductivity. As a carbide forming additive, molybdenum gets maximum benefit of high thermal conductivities of diamond and copper. Coating Mo on the diamond surface can promote the interfacial bonding in diamond/Cu composites. A Mo coated diamond/Cu composite with high thermal conductivity of 726W/mK is obtained, which is achieved by a thin nano-sized Mo2C layer. Mo coated diamond or un-coated diamond reinforced copper composites have been made by pressure assisted liquid copper infiltration method. The interfacial configuration, the bulk thermal conductivity and the evolution of interfacial thermal resistance are presented, indicating that the good adhesion at the interface can decrease the thermal boundary resistance and thus increase the thermal conductivity of the composites.