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Synergistic effect of size distribution on the electrical and thermal conductivities of graphene-based paper

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Abstract

Flexible graphene-based paper is promising for wide applications due to its outstanding electrical and thermal conductivities. Graphene flakes with large size are usually known as the key factor for improved paper performance. However, we find that a combination of flakes with large and small sizes is more favorable for both electrical and thermal conductivities than pure large flakes. In this work, flexible paper with enhanced electrical and thermal properties was fabricated by mixing graphene flakes with various size distributions. Large-size graphene (LSG) flakes play the role of a backbone structure, whereas small-size graphene (SSG) flakes fill the voids in the paper without disturbing the high orientation. The physical properties of the as-prepared graphene papers with contents of SSG varying from 0 to 100% have been investigated. It is found that the electrical and thermal conductivities of the paper with 25 wt% SSG are both around 140% higher than that of pure LSG paper. Our results indicate that the lightweight and flexible graphene-based paper has great potential for lateral heat dissipation applications requiring heat movement in a particular direction.

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Acknowledgements

This work was financially supported by the Science Foundation of China University of Petroleum, Beijing (No. 2462016YJRC007), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 21776308, 21576289), Science Foundation of China University of Petroleum, Beijing (Grant No. C201603), and Thousand Talents Program.

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  1. Qi Li and Xiaojuan Tian have contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Heavy Oil Processing, China University of Petroleum, Changping, Beijing, 102249, People’s Republic of China

    Qi Li, Xiaojuan Tian, Zhuo Chen, Jiaye Wu, Yun Li & Yongfeng Li

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  1. Qi Li
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  2. Xiaojuan Tian
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  3. Zhuo Chen
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  4. Jiaye Wu
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  5. Yun Li
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  6. Yongfeng Li
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Correspondence to Yongfeng Li.

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Li, Q., Tian, X., Chen, Z. et al. Synergistic effect of size distribution on the electrical and thermal conductivities of graphene-based paper. J Mater Sci 53, 10261–10269 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-018-2345-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-018-2345-x

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