The functional integration of electronic components continues to increase, and graphene-based thermal interface materials have attracted attention

Graphene-based thermal interface material is a thermal interface material made of graphene as a thermal conductive filler and epoxy resin, silicone oil, silicone rubber, polyurethane, etc. as a matrix. Among graphene-based thermal interface materials, the types of graphene used as thermally conductive fillers mainly include single-layer graphene, multi-layer graphene, graphene sheets, and graphene and carbon nanotube composite materials.

Thermal interface material (TIM) is a general term for materials coated on the surface of heating devices to reduce contact thermal resistance. Thermal interface materials can be widely used in many fields such as electronics, automobiles, instruments, machinery, aviation, etc. The electronic field is the most representative. Electronic components are made of a variety of materials, and there are gaps between these materials that contain air with low thermal conductivity, which affects heat dissipation. Under high temperature conditions, the stability, reliability, and lifespan of electronic components will decrease. The thermal interface material is coated on the surface of the heating electronic component material and can fill the gaps to establish thermal conductive channels, thereby improving the heat dissipation capability.

With the continuous advancement of electronic information technology, the continuous improvement of computer performance, the continuous emergence of new products such as wearable devices, the integration of CPU functions continues to increase, and it shows a trend of miniaturization. Its heat dissipation space shrinks but the heat generated continues to increase, and the heat dissipation demand is increasing day by day. As the temperature rises, ordinary thermal interface materials are gradually unable to meet the requirements, which has become one of the important issues limiting the development of high-performance chips. Under this circumstance, there is an urgent need for the development of new thermal interface materials, so graphene-based thermal interface materials have attracted attention.

According to the “In-depth Market Research and Development Prospects Forecast Report on China’s Graphene-Based Thermal Interface Materials Industry from 2022 to 2027” released by the Industrial Research CenterIt shows that graphene has high thermal conductivity and outstanding softness, which can meet the development trend of thermal interface materials with high thermal conductivity, high fit and wide application range. From the perspective of thermal conductivity, the thermal conductivity of graphene is much higher than that of copper, and when combined with other materials, the thermal conductivity can be further improved; from the perspective of softness, graphene is extremely soft and has the advantages of high strength. , and also has excellent chemical stability. From this point of view, graphene-based thermal interface materials have obvious performance advantages and have extremely broad development and application prospects.

Benefiting from the development of industries such as 5G, consumer electronics, automotive electronics, wearable devices, and the Internet of Things, the market demand for thermal interface materials continues to rise. From 2016 to 2021, the global thermal interface materials market has an average annual compound growth rate of 7.4%, and the market size will reach more than US$1.18 billion in 2021. Among several common thermal interface materials, polymer composite materials account for the largest market share, reaching more than 85%, due to their good physical and chemical properties. If graphene-based thermal interface materials can replace traditional thermal interface materials in many application fields in the future, the market space will be vast.

Industry analysts said that in order to meet the development needs of the electronic information industry, there are an increasing number of scientific research institutes studying graphene-based thermal interface materials in my country. , mainly including Tsinghua University, Tongji University, Shaanxi University of Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Sichuan University, Ningbo Institute of Materials, Chinese Academy of Sciences, etc. In February 2019, a team from the Ningbo Institute of Materials, Chinese Academy of Sciences prepared a high-performance thermal interface material based on graphene paper; in May 2021, a team from Sichuan University proposed a maltose-assisted mechanochemical exfoliation method to prepare maltose-G-graphite Alkene serves as the structural motif of TIM. At present, the manufacturing cost of graphene-based thermal interface materials is still high. In the future, as the technology matures, its cost-effective advantages will gradually emerge, and it will gradually replace the current mainstream thermal interface materials.