Research Progress on High Thermal Conductivity Graphene/Copper-Based Composite Heat Sinks for Electronic Equipment

Abstract:

Graphene/copper-based composite heat sinks demonstrate extensive application potential in military equipment thermal management, high-power electronic packaging, new energy vehicles, and 5G communication systems, due to their outstanding properties, including high thermal conductivity, tunable thermal expansion coefficients, excellent mechanical strength, and low density. However, the industrial-scale application of these composites faces critical challenges during the fabrication of components with complex structures, such as inhomogeneous dispersion of graphene within the copper matrix and poor interfacial bonding between the two phases, which substantially undermine the overall performance of graphene/copper-based composites. To address these issues, the preparation methods for graphene/copper-based composite heat sinks were reviewed. For each method, a rigorous analysis was presented to clarify its inherent advantages and unavoidable restrictions. Furthermore, the latest research progress in addressing three core scientific challenges was synthesized, including uniform dispersion of graphene, interfacial optimization mechanisms, and molecular dynamics simulations for elucidating the structure-property relationships. Finally, the future development directions of graphene/copper-based composite heat sinks in engineering applications were prospected.