The Role of Graphene on Microstructural, Mechanical, and Tribological Properties of Cu–AlCrFeCuNi Metal Matrix Composites Fabricated via Spark Plasma Sintering

Abstract In this study, Cu-based AlCrFeCuNi high-entropy alloy (HEA) composites reinforced with graphene were fabricated using a mechanical-alloying-assisted spark plasma sintering (SPS) technique. The HEA reinforcement content was kept constant at 20 wt pct for all samples, while the graphene content was varied at 0, 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 wt pct to investigate its influence on the microstructure, hardness, and tribological performance. The results indicate that both the HEA particles and graphene exhibit an almost homogeneous distribution within the matrix; however, increasing graphene content led to noticeable graphene accumulation along grain boundaries. With higher graphene fractions, the relative density decreased from 97.51 to 94.92 pct, whereas the hardness increased up to the 1.0 wt pct graphene addition, reaching 134.16 HB, followed by a slight decrease to 129.25 HB at 2.0 wt pct. Furthermore, graphene reinforcement significantly improved the tribological behavior of the composites, providing a substantial reduction in wear. The addition of graphene significantly decreased the coefficient of friction from about ~ 0.70 in the Cu–HEA alloy to 0.08 at 2.0 wt pct graphene. Graphene also suppressed the pronounced frictional fluctuations observed in the base alloy, leading to a much more stable sliding behavior. As a result, wear loss was reduced by nearly 99 pct, primarily due to the formation of a continuous lubricating tribofilm on the contact surface.