Enhanced thermal properties of 3D-laminated laser-induced graphene paper infiltrated epoxy composites

In this work, we investigated the laminated laser-induced graphene paper (LIGP) infiltrated epoxy resin to create hot-pressed composites with enhanced thermal properties. By varying the mass percentage of epoxy resin and the layer number of LIGP in the composites, we examined the factors influencing the thermal properties of the materials. The results indicated that the thermal conductivity of the composites could reach approximately 0.6 Wm-1K-1 when using 20 wt% epoxy resin and three layers of LIGP in the hot-pressing process. This value represents roughly a threefold improvement compared to that of pure epoxy resin. Furthermore, a finite element analysis was conducted to assess the impact of the layer number of LIGP on the samples' thermal conductivity and to provide an explanation for the experimental observations. The results suggest that laser-induced graphene (LIG) holds significant promise for tailoring the thermal properties of polymer materials, paving the way for high-performance thermal management applications. The novelty of this approach lies in leveraging the good thermal properties of LIG to develop composites with tailored thermal characteristics, a strategy that could redefine the capabilities of polymer-based materials in managing thermal energy.