Enhanced thermal properties of epoxy composites by constructing thermal conduction networks with low content of three-dimensional graphene

Micro/nano electronic devices heat dissipation depends heavily on the thermal interface materials (TIMs). Despite notable progress, it is hard to efficaciously enhance the thermal properties of the hybrid TIMs with high-load additives due to an absence of effective heat transfer routes. Herein, the low content of three-dimensional (3D) graphene with interconnected networks is adopted as the additive to improve the thermal properties of epoxy composite TIMs. The thermal diffusivity and thermal conductivity of the as-prepared hybrids were dramatically improved by constructing thermal conduction networks after adding 3D graphene as fillers. The 3D graphene/epoxy hybrid's optimal thermal characteristics were observed at 1.5 wt% of 3D graphene content, corresponding to a maximum enhancement of 683%. Besides, heat transfer experiments were further performed to determine the superb heat dissipation potential of the 3D graphene/epoxy hybrids. Moreover, the 3D graphene/epoxy composite TIM was also applied to high-power LED to improve heat dissipation. It effectively reduced the maximum temperature from 79.8 degrees C to 74.3 degrees C. These results are beneficial for the better cooling performance of electronic devices and provide useful guidelines for advancing the next-generation TIMs.

Automated summary

The thermal properties of hybrid thermal interface materials (TIMs) were improved by adding three-dimensional (3D) graphene as fillers, which resulted in enhanced thermal diffusivity and thermal conductivity. The optimal thermal characteristics were observed at 1.5 wt% of 3D graphene content, with a maximum enhancement of 683%. Heat dissipation experiments demonstrated the potential of the 3D graphene/epoxy hybrids, and applying them to high-power LED effectively reduced the maximum temperature.