Interfacial Strengthening of Graphene/Aluminum Composites through Point Defects: A First-Principles Study

The relationship between point defects and mechanical properties has not been fully understood yet from a theoretical perspective. This study systematically investigated how the Stone–Wales (SW) defect, the single vacancy (SV), and the double vacancy (DV) affect the mechanical properties of graphene/aluminum composites. The interfacial bonding energies containing the SW and DV defects were about twice that of the pristine graphene. Surprisingly, the interfacial bonding energy of the composites with single vacancy was almost four times that of without defect in graphene. These results indicate that point defects enhance the interfacial bonding strength significantly and thus improve the mechanical properties of graphene/aluminum composites, especially the SV defect. The differential charge density elucidates that the formation of strong Al–C covalent bonds at the defects is the most fundamental reason for improving the mechanical properties of graphene/aluminum composites. The theoretical research results show the defective graphene as the reinforcing phase is more promising to be used in the metal matrix composites, which will provide a novel design guideline for graphene reinforced metal matrix composites. Furthermore, the sp(3)-hybridized C dangling bonds increase the chemical activity of the SV graphene, making it possible for the SV graphene/aluminum composites to be used in the catalysis field.