Enhanced Thermal Conductivity for Graphene Nanoplatelets/Epoxy Resin Composites

Graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) have excellent thermal conductivity. It can significantly improve the heat-conducting property of epoxy resin (EP) matrix. In this paper, the GNPs/EP composites were successfully prepared by using ultrasonication and the cast molding method. The prepared GNPs/EP composites were systematically characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and thermal conductivity analyzer. Some factors affecting the thermal transfer performance of the composites were discussed. The defoamation has great influence on the thermal conductivity of composite. There is a nearly linear relationship between the mass fraction and the thermal conductivity of composite when the mass fraction of GNPs is below 4.3%. The results show that when the mass fraction of GNPs is 4.3% with crushing time of 2 s, the thermal conductivity of GNPs/EP composite is up to 0.99 W/m K. The thermal conductivity is increased by 9.0% compared with that without pulverization treatment (0.91 W/m K). When it is ground three times, the thermal conductivity of composite reaches the maximum (1.06 W/m K) and it is increased by 307.7% compared with that of epoxy resin matrix.