One-pot modified “grafting-welding” preparation of graphene/ polyimide carbon films for superior thermal management

Abstract

Thermal management has attracted much recent attention due to the rapid development of 5G communication and electronic devices. Reduced GO/polyimide carbon (rGO/PI-carbon) films were prepared by a one-pot “grafting-welding” strategy, where GO was first grafted with amino groups using 1,3-bis(4-aminophenoxy) benzene, then polymerized with polyamic acid (PAA) and pyromellitic dianhydride to connect the GO sheets, before carbonization and graphitization. The rGO/PI film with a mass ratio of GO to PAA of 7% exhibits an increase in in-plane thermal conductivity (1102 W(m·K)−1) of 48.92% compared with the rGO film. It also has a superior bending performance and survives 2000 bend cycles with a small radius test while suffering an electrical resistance increase of less than 10%. Grafting-welding of rGO with PI carbon produces effective paths for phonon transport between the graphene sheets, reducing phonon scattering, which makes it a candidate for thermal interface materials for heat dissipation.