Fabrication of Carbon Nanofiber/Cu Composite Powder by Electroless Plating and Microstructural Evolution during Thermal Exposure

무전해 도금에 의한 탄소나노섬유/Cu 복합 분말 제조 및 열적 안정성

Carbon nanofiber/Cu composite powder has been fabricated by electroless plating process. Microstructural evolution of the composite powder after heat treatment under vacuum, hydrogen and air environment was investigated. A dispersed carbon nanofiber coated by copper was produced at the as-plated condition. Carbon nanofiber is coated uniformly and densely with the plate shaped copper particles. The copper plates on the carbon nanofiber aggregate during the thermal exposure at elevated temperature in vacuum and hydrogen in order to reduce surface energy. The thermal exposure of the composite powder in air at $400^{\circ}C$ for 3 hours leads to the spherodization of the composite powder owing to oxidation of copper.