Work

Multilayer Graphene Enables Higher Efficiency in Improving Thermal Conductivities of Graphene/Epoxy Composites

Year: 2016

Type: article

Abstract: The effects of number of graphene layers (n) and size of multilayer graphene sheets on thermal conductivities (TCs) of their epoxy composites are investigated. Molecular dynamics simulations show that the in-plane TCs of graphene sheets and the TCs across the graphene/epoxy interface simultaneously increase with increasing n. However, such higher TCs of multilayer graphene sheets will not translate into higher TCs of bulk composites unless they have large lateral sizes to maintain their aspect ratios comparable to the monolayer counterparts. The benefits of using large, multilayer graphene sheets are confirmed by experiments, showing that the composites made from graphite nanoplatelets (n > 10) with over 30 μm in diameter deliver a TC of ∼1.5 W m(-1) K(-1) at only 2.8 vol %, consistently higher than those containing monolayer or few-layer graphene at the same graphene loading. Our findings offer a guideline to use cost-effective multilayer graphene as conductive fillers for various thermal management applications.

Source: Nano Letters

DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.6b00722

Authors: Xi Shen, Zhenyu Wang, Ying Wu, Xu Liu, Yan-Bing He, Jang-Kyo Kim

Institutions: Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University

Language: English

Topic: Thermal properties of materials

Subfield: Materials Chemistry

Field: Materials Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $4,500

Funders: Research Grants Council, University Grants Committee, Innovation and Technology Commission