CVD graphene coating of Cu cables for low voltage domestic and industrial wiring

Copper is commonly employed in industrial wiring applications, owing to its excellent thermal, electrical and mechanical properties. However, Cu wires are easily oxidized when exposed to air [1] and conventional anticorrosion coatings have several issues, such as affecting the dimension, and the properties of the underlying material. Thereby, research efforts are devoted to develop effective and lightweight coatings to successfully prevent oxidation of Cu wires and possibly increase the electrical conductivity of the material with the aim of saving production and raw material costs. Graphene grown via chemical vapor deposition (CVD) is an interesting candidate material for ultrathin coating of Cu wires thanks to its extraordinarily high thermal and electrical conductivity, strength and adhesion to the original morphology of the surface [2-4]. We report the successful CVD growth of graphene on commercial Cu wires by controlling and optimizing sensitive growth parameters. The morphological, spectroscopic and electrical characterization of the samples after graphene deposition and after natural aging are discussed. The results demonstrate that graphene can effectively enhance the electrical properties of Cu cables, leading to 0.7-2.0% improvement in conductivity, with respect to pristine Cu wires, after 1 year of ageing. This CVD deposition process, carried out in safe conditions and using short growth time, paves the way for in-line coating at industrial scale.