Abstract:Currently, copper-based composites have been widely applied in various fields. With advancement of science and technology and continuous improvement of material requirements, preparation of copper-based composites with high strength and high conductivity has become a current research focus. Carbon nanomaterials (CNMs), due to their excellent properties, have been widely studied by researchers as reinforcing phases in copper-based composites. This paper demonstranted an in-depth study and analysis of three representative CNMs/Cu composites: carbon nanotube (CNT)/Cu, graphene (GR)/Cu, and carbonized polymer dot (CPD)/Cu. When these three CNMs are used as reinforcing phases, they generally have problems such as prone to agglomeration and poor interface bonding with Cu, which leads to a decline in the performance of the composites. Focusing on research difficulties and disadvantages of such materials, similarities and differences in performance of each composite were analyzed and discussed based on intrinsic structural characteristics of the materials. Preparation methods, mechanical properties, electrical properties, and strengthening mechanisms of copper-based composites reinforced by introduced phases were studied. This provided inspirational ideas on preparation and performance research of copper-based composites reinforced by CNMs, breaking through the existing technical bottlenecks and realizing controllable preparation of copper-based composites with high strength and high conductivity.