Lightweight and strong exfoliated graphite/polyvinyl alcohol monoliths with highly thermo/electro conductivity for advanced thermal/EMI management

Abstract

Preparation of lightweight polymer monoliths with highly thermo/electro conductivity for advanced thermal/electromagnetic interference (EMI) management in high-integrated and weight-sensitive electronics remains pending challenges. Here, lightweight porous exfoliated graphite/polyvinyl alcohol (EG/PVA) monoliths with locally layered structure are fabricated via a hypergravity induced self-assembly method (HGSA). Owing to the HGSA method resulting in formation of multiply robust EG networks, the monoliths show an exceptional thermal conductivity of 2.42–8.45 W/mK and a high electrical conductivity of 8.16–230.40 S/m at low density of 0.28–0.64 g/cm3, thus endowing itself with remarkable thermal/EMI management capability. To the best of our knowledge, this is probably first time to achieve high thermal conductivity (>5 W/mK) into porous polymer composites with such low density. Besides, an impressive specific compression modulus of 338.2–689.4 MPa cm3/g is achieved in the monoliths, which is basically comparable to most carbon foams after heat treatment. The results we provided in this research open new possibilities for fabricating lightweight polymer composites with multiple functions for advanced thermal/EMI management.