Effect of defects on heat transfer at the graphene/epoxy interface

Abstract

The effects of defects on the interface thermal conductivity (ITC) for graphene/epoxy (G/EP) are investigated by using molecular dynamics simulations (MD). The results indicate that defects in graphene are important for improving the ITC of G/EP. This enhancement depends on defect type and concentration. Among the various defect types, Stone-Wales(SW) defects are detected to be the most effective defect type for improving the ITC. Other defect types such as multi-vacancy (MV), double-vacancy (DV), and single-vacancy (SV) are detected to have negligible enhancement. The influence of graphene layer number on ITC is further investigated for both pristine and SW-defective graphene. As layer number grows, the ITC decreases greatly but becomes steady when layer number exceeds four for both systems. The calculated ITCs are then comprehensively analyzed by using Phonon Density Of States (PDOS). Our study offers meaningful directions on the use of defective graphene in practical thermal management applications.