The invention discloses a W-Ni-Cu 
gradient material and a preparation method thereof. The method comprises the following steps: taking a 
molten salt system of NaCl-KCl-NaF-NiO as an Ni leakage source and taking a 
copper-plating 
aqueous solution as a Cu leakage source; electrically depositing and leaking 
nickel on a pure W plate through 
molten salt, electrically depositing and leaking Cu through an 
aqueous solution; and finally diffusing and annealing to obtain the W-Ni-Cu 
gradient material. The material is high in 
thermal shock resistance and 
thermal fatigue resistance; all the components of the material are combined closely; the material 
surface structure is compact and smooth; the material has high electrical 
conductivity, high 
thermal conductivity and high mechanical performance. The method is capable of simultaneously carrying out mutual 
diffusion between W and Ni and carrying out mutual 
diffusion between Ni and Cu under the action of an 
electric field and a temperature field by using an electric deposition method according to the basic 
diffusion theory (the 
electric field can accelerate the diffusion of 
solid metals, and the diffusion speed of the opposite party can also be mutually improved when carrying out multi-element diffusion in the 
solid diffusion); the thickening of gradient 
layers can be accelerated; the W-Ni-Cu 
gradient material has the characteristics of rapid forming speed of the gradient 
layers, short preparation time, randomly controllable thickness of the gradient 
layers, compact 
surface structure of the material, high 
thermal conductivity and simple process.