Issue

Vol. 16 (2024)

Highly Thermoconductive, Strong Graphene-Based Composite Films by Eliminating Nanosheets Wrinkles

https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-023-01252-w
Guang Xiao
College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Artificial Functional Materials, and Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, People’s Republic of China
Hao Li
Institute of Laser Manufacturing, Henan Academy of Sciences, Zhengzhou 450052, People’s Republic of China
Zhizhou Yu
Center for Quantum Transport and Thermal Energy Science, School of Physics and Technology, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, People’s Republic of China
Haoting Niu
College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Artificial Functional Materials, and Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, People’s Republic of China
Yagang Yao
College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Artificial Functional Materials, and Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, People’s Republic of China

Corresponding Author: Yagang Yao

ygyao2018@nju.edu.cn

Nano-Micro Letters, Vol. 16 (2024), Article Number: 17

Abstract

Graphene-based thermally conductive composites have been proposed as effective thermal management materials for cooling high-power electronic devices. However, when flexible graphene nanosheets are assembled into macroscopic thermally conductive composites, capillary forces induce shrinkage of graphene nanosheets to form wrinkles during solution-based spontaneous drying, which greatly reduces the thermal conductivity of the composites. Herein, graphene nanosheets/aramid nanofiber (GNS/ANF) composite films with high thermal conductivity were prepared by in-plane stretching of GNS/ANF composite hydrogel networks with hydrogen bonds and π–π interactions. The in-plane mechanical stretching eliminates graphene nanosheets wrinkles by suppressing inward shrinkage due to capillary forces during drying and achieves a high in-plane orientation of graphene nanosheets, thereby creating a fast in-plane heat transfer channel. The composite films (GNS/ANF-60 wt%) with eliminated graphene nanosheets wrinkles showed a significant increase in thermal conductivity (146 W m−1 K−1) and tensile strength (207 MPa). The combination of these excellent properties enables the GNS/ANF composite films to be effectively used for cooling flexible LED chips and smartphones, showing promising applications in the thermal management of high-power electronic devices.


Highlights:
1 Highly thermally conductive composite films with elimination of graphene nanosheet wrinkles prepared by a constrained drying strategy of in-plane stretching.
2 Reveals the mechanism of graphene nanosheet wrinkle elimination to improve the thermal conductivity of composite films and demonstrates its use as a heat sink film for cooling flexible LED chips and smartphones.

Keywords

Graphene Aramid nanofiber Wrinkles elimination In-plane stretching Thermal conductivity
Xiao, Guang, Hao Li, Zhizhou Yu, Haoting Niu, and Yagang Yao. 2023. “Highly Thermoconductive, Strong Graphene-Based Composite Films by Eliminating Nanosheets Wrinkles”. Nano-Micro Letters 16 (November):17. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-023-01252-w.
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