Characterization of the thermal conductivity and diffusivity of graphene nanoplatelets strips: a low-cost technique

Abstract This paper proposes a new technique to characterize the thermal conductivity and diffusivity of thin strips made by graphene nanoplatelets (GNP). The evaluation of these parameters is essential for a reliable design of thermal and electrothermal applications of graphene and is usually performed by means of assessed but expensive techniques such as those based on Raman effects and laser flash. The technique proposed here is simpler and less demanding in terms of equipment, and combines the results of an experimental characterization of the strip heated by the Joule effect obtained with infrared camera, with those provided by an electro-thermal model. Specifically, the evaluation of the thermal conductivity and diffusivity is the result of the analysis of the transient behavior of the measured and simulated solutions. The methodology is here successfully validated by applying it to commercial graphene strips and benchmarking against the thermal parameters provided by the manufacturers. Then, a complete characterization is provided for commercial strips based on different formulations of GNP and binders such as polyurethane, epoxy resin, and boron nitride. For these materials, the values of thermal conductivity and diffusivity are found in the ranges (50–450) W m −1 K −1 and (0.5–3.5) × 10 −4 m 2 s −1 , respectively.