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In this work, we demonstrate that use of dimethylformamide (DMF) as a solventleads to better dispersion of graphene nanoplatelets in epoxy matrix comparedto acetone solvent, in turn leading to higher thermal conductivityepoxy-graphene nanocomposites. While role of solvents in enabling superiormechanical properties has been addressed before, outlined study is the first toaddress the effect of solvents on thermal conductivity enhancement and providesnovel pathways for achieving high thermal conductivity polymer compositematerials. Uniform dispersion of graphene nanoparticles into epoxy can improvethermal contact with polymer leading to superior interface thermal conductancebetween polymer matrix and graphene. Organic solvents are typically employed toachieve efficient dispersion of graphene into the epoxy matrix. In this study,we compare the effect of two organic solvents, dimethylformamide (DMF) andacetone, in terms of their efficiency in dispersing graphene into the epoxymatrix and their effect on enhancing thermal conductivity of the composite. Wefind that polymer-graphene composites made with DMF solvent show 44% higherthermal conductivity compared to those made using acetone at 7 weight% fillercomposition. Laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM) imaging reveals thatgraphene-epoxy composites, prepared using DMF as solvent, exhibit more uniformdispersion of graphene-nanoplatelets compared to the case of acetone withacetone-based samples exhibiting up to 211% larger graphene agglomerations.Comparison with effective medium theory reveals an almost 35% lower interfacethermal resistance between graphene and epoxy for DMF relative to acetoneprepared composite. These results provide fundamentally new avenues to achievehigher thermal conductivity graphene-epoxy composites, of key importance for awide range of thermal management technologies.

Superior enhancement in thermal conductivity of epoxy/graphene nanocomposites through use of dimethylformamide (DMF) relative to acetone as solvent