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Synergistic Effect of Aligned Graphene Nanosheets in Graphene Foam for High‐Performance Thermally Conductive Composites
Author(s) -
Wu Zhaohong,
Xu Chuan,
Ma Chaoqun,
Liu Zhibo,
Cheng HuiMing,
Ren Wencai
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
advanced materials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 10.707
H-Index - 527
eISSN - 1521-4095
pISSN - 0935-9648
DOI - 10.1002/adma.201900199
Subject(s) - graphene , materials science , thermal conductivity , composite material , composite number , electrical conductor , percolation threshold , graphene foam , percolation (cognitive psychology) , graphene oxide paper , electrical resistivity and conductivity , nanotechnology , biology , engineering , neuroscience , electrical engineering
Graphene shows a great potential for high‐performance thermally conductive composite applications because of its extremely high thermal conductivity. However, the graphene‐based polymer composites reported so far only have a limited thermal conductivity, with the highest thermal conductivity enhancement (TCE) per 1 vol% graphene less than 900%. Here, a continuous network of graphene foam (GF), filled with aligned graphene nanosheets (GNs), is shown to be an ideal filler structure for thermally conductive composite materials. Compared to previous reports, a clear thermal percolation is observed at a low graphene loading fraction. The GNs/GF/natural rubber composite shows the highest TCE of 8100% (6.2 vol% graphene loading) ever reported at room temperature, which gives a record‐high TCE per 1 vol% graphene of 1300%. Further analyses reveal a significant synergistic effect between the aligned GNs and 3D interconnected GF, which plays a key role in the formation of a thermal percolation network to remarkably improve the thermal conductivity of the composites. Additionally, the use of this composite for efficient heat dissipation of light‐emitting diode (LED) lamps is demonstrated. These findings provide valuable guidance to design high‐performance graphene‐based thermally conductive materials, and open up the possibility for the use of graphene in high‐power electronic devices.