The interface microzone characteristics determine the thermophysical properties of diamond/Cu composites, while the mechanisms of interface formation and heat transport still need to be revealed. Here, diamond/Cu-B composites with different boron content were prepared by vacuum pressure infiltration. Diamond/Cu-B composites up to 694 W/(mK) were obtained. The interfacial carbides formation process and the enhancement mechanisms of interfacial heat conduction in diamond/Cu-B composites were studied by HRTEM and first-principles calculations. It is demonstrated that boron can diffuse toward the interface region with an energy barrier of 0.87 eV, and these elements are energetically favorable to form the B4C phase. The calculation of the phonon spectrum proves that the B4C phonon spectrum is distributed in the range of the copper and diamond phonon spectrum. The overlapping of phonon spectra and the dentate structure together enhance the interface phononic transport efficiency, thereby improving the interface thermal conductance.
Keywords: diamond/Cu composites; first-principles calculations; interface thermal conductance; metal matrix composites; microzone structure.