Deformation treatment and microstructure of graphene-reinforced metal matrix nanocomposites: A review of graphene post-dispersion

Graphene/aluminum (Gr/Al) composites have attracted the attention of researchers all over the world due to their excellent properties. However, graphene agglomerates easily because of the van der Waals force between graphite sheets, thereby affecting the performance of the composites. Decreasing the agglomeration of graphene and dispersing it uniformly in the Al matrix is a key challenge. In the preparation process, predispersion treatment and deformation treatment can play important roles in graphene dispersion. Researchers have conducted a series of research and literature reviews of the graphene predispersion and consolidation of composites. However, they paid less attention to post-deformation processing. This review summarizes different deformation treatments involved in the preparation process of Gr/Al composites and the evolution of the microstructure during the process. Research on deformation parameters is expected to further improve the properties of Gr/Al composites and would provide a deep understanding of the strengthening effect of graphene.