Highly thermal conductive Graphene/Paraffin composite for efficient thermal management of electronics

Abstract

Enhancing thermal management in modern electronic devices has become more important and challenging than ever before. One promising solution in this field is to take advantage of phase change materials (PCMs) based on paraffin wax (PW). However, the development and application of these PCMs face two major obstacles: poor shape stability and low thermal conductivity. In this study, we have successfully prepared pure graphene micro-nano pores films (GMNFs) through common foaming and heat treatment techniques. These GMNFs can simultaneously offer high thermal conductivity and a stable supporting framework for pure PW, resulting in the creation of graphene-based PCMs (GPCMs). The prepared GPCM demonstrates an impressive thermal conductivity of 208.08 W·m−1·K−1 and a latent heat of 156.97 J·g−1 when the ratio of the pure-graphene framework is 20.6 wt%. Additionally, the GPCM exhibits exceptional stability with minimal mass loss, even at temperatures as high as 147.4 ℃, surpassing the normal operating conditions of electronic devices. The performance of GPCMs can be easily adjusted by modifying the GMNFs to meet different thermal management requirements. These findings highlight the tremendous potential of GPCMs for industrial production and practical implementation in electronic devices.