Copper nanowires coated with graphene show promise for chips and flexible displays

Researchers at Purdue University designed a new process for coating copper nanowires with graphene, that lowers resistance and heating. This process may suggest potential applications in computer chips and flexible displays, as copper nanowires are essential for efficient data transfer and heat conduction in such applications.

The researchers developed a technique for encapsulating the wires with graphene, which was shown to create hybrid wires that are capable of 15% faster data transmission while lowering peak temperature by 27% compared with uncoated copper nanowires. The graphene coating prevents the copper wires from oxidizing, preserving low resistance and reducing the amount of heating.