Heat transfer performance of a novel graphene-based composite thermal interface material

Abstract High-power airborne equipment generates significant heat flux during operation, which must be promptly dissipated to avoid thermal failure. Along the heat transfer pathway from power chips to heat sink, interfacial temperature difference can account for more than 40% of the total temperature difference, which becomes a bottleneck in the thermal management. Thermal interface materials (TIMs) can significantly reduce interfacial temperature difference. In recent years, graphene-based composite material, with excellent thermal conductivity and flexibility, has become a research hotspot for low thermal resistance TIM. This paper researched the heat transfer performance of a novel graphene-based composite thermal interface material, designed an experimental platform for its thermal performance and installability testing. Experimental results show that the interfacial thermal resistance of the graphene-based composite thermal interface material is lower than that of the indium-based alloy thermal interface material and thermal grease, with an interfacial thermal resistance of 0.45 °C cm 2 /W. Additionally, after 20 working cycles of installation and uninstallation, the interface temperature difference increased by only 8.1%, demonstrating excellent installability. The material satisfies both the heat transfer and installability requirements of high-power airborne equipment.