Production process for metal matrix nanocomposite containing oriented graphene sheets

1. A process for producing a metal matrix nanocomposite, said process comprising:

(A) preparing a graphene dispersion comprising multiple discrete graphene sheets with chemically functionalized graphene sheets having a chemical functional group selected from the group consisting of amidoamines, polyamides, aliphatic amines, modified aliphatic amines, cycloaliphatic amines, aromatic amines, anhydrides, ketimines, diethylenetriamine (DETA), triethylene-tetramine (TETA), tetraethylene-pentamine (TEPA), polyethylene polyamine, polyamine epoxy adduct, phenolic hardener, non-brominated curing agent, non-amine curatives, and combinations thereof, and dispersed in a liquid adhesive resin;

(B) bringing said graphene dispersion in physical contact with a solid substrate surface and aligning said graphene sheets along a planar direction of said substrate surface wherein said graphene sheets are bonded to and supported by said substrate surface;

(C) depositing a layer of a metal or metal alloy having a thickness from 0.5 nm to 10 μm, onto surfaces of said aligned graphene sheets to form a layer of metal-coated graphene sheets supported by said substrate surface, wherein said metal or metal alloy contains a transition metal, aluminum (Al), magnesium (Mg), tin (Sn), indium (In), lead (Pb), an alloy thereof, or a combination thereof; and

(D) separating said layer of metal-coated graphene sheets from said substrate surface and consolidating said layer of metal-coated graphene sheets into a metal matrix nanocomposite wherein said graphene sheets are dispersed in said matrix material, substantially aligned to be parallel to one another, and in an amount from 0.1% to 95% by volume based on the total nanocomposite volume;

wherein said multiple graphene sheets contain single-layer or few-layer graphene sheets selected from a pristine graphene material having essentially zero % of non-carbon elements, or a non-pristine graphene material having 0.001% to 25% by weight of non-carbon elements wherein said non-pristine graphene is selected from graphene oxide, reduced graphene oxide, graphene fluoride, graphene chloride, graphene bromide, graphene iodide, hydrogenated graphene, nitrogenated graphene, doped graphene, chemically functionalized graphene, or a combination thereof and wherein said chemically functionalized graphene is not graphene oxide.

2. The process of claim 1 , wherein said step (B) includes a procedure selected from spraying, painting, coating, casting, or printing a layer of said graphene dispersion onto said substrate surface and aligning said graphene sheets along a planar direction of said substrate surface so that said graphene sheets are substantially parallel to one another and are bonded to and supported by said substrate surface.

3. The process of claim 1 , wherein said solid substrate contains a polymer film having a thickness from 5 μm to 200 μm.

4. The process of claim 1 , wherein said step (B) includes a procedure (i) of feeding a continuous polymer film, as said solid substrate, from a polymer film feeder into a graphene deposition chamber containing said graphene dispersion therein and a procedure (ii) of operating the graphene deposition chamber to deposit the graphene sheets and the adhesive resin to at least a primary surface of the polymer film for forming a graphene-coated polymer film; and wherein said step (C) includes moving the graphene-coated polymer film into a metallization chamber which accommodates a plating solution for plating a layer of said metal or metal alloy onto the graphene-coated polymer film to obtain said layer of metal-coated graphene sheets supported on said polymer film; and said step further includes a procedure of operating a winding roller to collect layer of metal-coated graphene sheets supported on said polymer film.

5. The process of claim 1 , wherein said step (C) includes immersing said graphene sheets supported on said substrate surface into a metallization chamber which accommodates a plating solution for plating a layer of said metal or metal alloy onto the graphene sheets to obtain said layer of metal-coated graphene sheets supported on said substrate surface.

6. The process of claim 1 , wherein said step (C) includes operating a procedure of sputtering, physical vapor deposition, chemical vapor deposition, plasma-assisted deposition, spraying, painting, coating, casting, or printing for depositing said thin layer of metal or metal alloy onto said graphene sheets.

7. The process of claim 1 , wherein said graphene sheets are in an amount from 10% to 95% by volume and graphene sheets are spaced by said matrix material having an average spacing from 1 nm to 300 nm.

8. The process of claim 1 , wherein said graphene sheets are in an amount from 20% to 95% by volume and graphene sheets are spaced by said matrix material having an average spacing from 1 nm to 150 nm.

9. The process of claim 1 , wherein said graphene sheets are in an amount from 50% to 95% by volume and graphene sheets are spaced by said matrix material having an average spacing from 1 nm to 70 nm.

10. The process of claim 1 , wherein said graphene sheets are in an amount from 75% to 95% by volume and graphene sheets are spaced by said matrix material having an average spacing from 1 nm to 30 nm.

11. The process of claim 1 , wherein said graphene sheets contain mostly single-layer graphene having an average number of layers between 1 and 2.

12. The process of claim 1 , wherein said graphene sheets contain single-layer graphene and few-layer graphene sheets having an average number of layers less than 5.