High-efficiency thermal transport in graphene-based composites via a copper interlayer

JY Fang and Y Zhang and P Zhao, CELL REPORTS PHYSICAL SCIENCE, 6, 102917 (2025).

DOI: 10.1016/j.xcrp.2025.102917

Power intensification in advanced electrical systems drives the demand for efficient thermal management materials. In this work, we develop a bi-stacked graphene-copper (BS-Gr/Cu) layered composite with tunable thermal properties. The results show that interlayer phonon scattering is effectively reduced with a Cu interlayer between the graphene layers in the composites. The in-plane thermal conductivity of BS-Gr/Cu composites reaches '465 W m-1 K-1, with a 61% thermal conductivity enhancement relative to pure Cu films, and comparative heat dissipation tests confirm the high in-plane thermal conduction performance of BS- Gr/Cu composites. Molecular dynamics simulations reveal that the Cu interlayer enhances the in-plane thermal conductivity of graphene by reducing phonon scattering and exciting low-frequency phonons, and the interfacial thermal conductance at the graphene-Cu interface is also higher. This study provides a method for preparing graphene-based composites with excellent thermal management capabilities.

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