Electronic applications of flexible graphite

Flexible graphite is effective for electronic applications, specifically electromagnetic interference (EMI) gasketing, resistive heating, thermoelectric-energy generation, and heat dissipation. It is comparable to or better than conductive-filled silicone materials for EMI gasketing. The shielding effectiveness reaches 125 dB. Flexible graphite as a heating element provides temperatures up to 980degreesC, response half-time down to 4 see, and heat output at 60 sec up to 5600 J. The through-thickness, absolute thermoelectric power of flexible graphite is -2.6 muV/degreesC. Flexible graphite is effective as a thermal-interface material if the thickness is low (0.13 mm), the density is low (1.1 g/cm(3)), and the contact pressure is high (11.1 MPa). These applications make use of the flexibility and compliance of flexible graphite, in addition to its electronic and thermal behavior. Compliance is particularly important for the use of flexible graphite as interface materials, whether the interface is electromagnetic, thermoelectric, or thermal.