A Three-Dimensional Vertically Aligned Functionalized Multilayer Graphene Architecture: An Approach for Graphene-Based Thermal Interfacial Materials

Thermally conductive functionalized multilayer graphene sheets (fMGs) are efficiently aligned in large-scale by a vacuum filtration method at room temperature, as evidenced by SEM images and polarized Raman spectroscopy. A remarkably strong anisotropy in properties of aligned fMGs is observed. High electrical (∼386 S cm⁻¹) and thermal conductivity (∼112 W m⁻¹ K⁻¹ at 25 °C) and ultralow coefficient of thermal expansion (∼−0.71 ppm K⁻¹) in the in-plane direction of A-fMGs are obtained without any reduction process. Aligned fMGs are vertically assembled between contacted silicon/silicon surfaces with pure indium as a metallic medium. Thus-constructed three-dimensional vertically aligned fMG thermal interfacial material (VA-fMG TIM) architecture has significantly higher equivalent thermal conductivity (75.5 W m⁻¹ K⁻¹) and lower contact thermal resistance (5.1 mm² K W⁻¹), compared with their counterpart from A-fMGs that are recumbent between silicon surfaces. This finding provides a throughout approach for a graphene-based TIM assembly as well as knowledge of vertically aligned graphene architectures, which may not only facilitate graphene’s application in current demanding thermal management but also promote its widespread applications in electrodes of energy storage devices, conductive polymeric composites, etc.