Mechanical Performance of Copper-Nanocluster-Polymer Nanolattices.

Tang, Jin; Liang, Heyi; Ren, An; Ma, Liang; Hao, Wei; Yao, Yuqing; Zheng, Letian; Li, Hanying et al. · Adv Mater · 2024

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

A type of copper-nanocluster-polymer composites is reported and showcased that their 3D nanolattices exhibit a superior combination of high strength, toughness, deformability, resilience, and damage-tolerance. Notably, the strength and toughness of ultralight copper-nanocluster-polymer nanolattices in some cases surpass current best performers, including alumina, nickel, and other ceramic or metallic lattices at low densities. Additionally, copper-nanocluster-polymer nanolattices are super-resilient, crack-resistant, and one-step printed under ambient condition which can be easily integrated into sophisticated microsystems as highly effective internal protectors. The findings suggest that, unlike traditional nanocomposites, the laser-induced interface and the high fraction of ultrasmall Cu<sub>15</sub> nanoclusters as crosslinking junctions contribute to the marked nonlinear elasticity of copper-nanocluster-polymer network, which synergizes with the lattice-topology effect and culminates in the exceptional mechanical performance.