Plasma-Chemical Synthesis of Graphene/Copper Nanocomposite

The effect of graphene doping with copper in a plasma jet reactor is studied. The effect is obtained during the synthesis of graphene in hydrocarbon-contating helium and nitrogen plasma jets generated by an electric arc plasma torch under reduced pressure. The graphene/copper nanocomposite synthesized has been studied by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and energy-dispersive X-ray microanalysis. It has been found that copper forms various bonds with carbon in graphene layers, which are due to interaction between the layers. It has been shown that the concentration of copper in the nanocomposite substantially depends on the composition of the plasma-forming gas and its flow rate.