Rational design of graphene structures for preparing high-performance thermal interface materials: A mini review

With the explosive development in integration of electronic components and the increasing complexity of packaging systems, semiconductor chips own extremely high operation temperatures given by the horrible heat accumulation attributed to the drastically increasing power density. Therefore, highly efficient heat dissipation with the help of rationally designed thermal interface materials (TIMs) is the key to maintaining the device performance and lifespan. Graphene exhibits an ultrahigh intrinsic thermal conductivity, which has attracted a large amount of academic interest due to its significant potential for developing high-performance TIMs. In this tutorial review, we summarize the recent advances in graphene-based TIMs, especially emphasizing the determinate effects of graphene structure and alignment in enhancing the heat transfer capacity of corresponding samples, with detailed discussion in the superiorities and limitations of various graphene skeletons. In addition, we also provide prospects for the challenges and opportunities in the future development of graphene-based TIMs.