Microstructure engineering of graphene towards highly thermal conductive composites

Abstract Heat management is more and more crucial challenge since the development of modern electronic devices towards miniaturization and high dense integrity. Highly thermal conductive composites based on graphene are ideal heat-dissipating materials for their excellent heat dissipation ability, outstanding mechanical properties as well as low coefficient of thermal expansion. Numerous efforts have been made towards the development of graphene-based polymeric composites with high performance. Furthermore, it has been demonstrated that microstructure engineering of graphene-based construction of three-dimensional networks and high orientation is extremely important to improve the properties of composites. In this review, the research progress on the latest strategies of microstructure engineering of graphene for highly thermal conductive composites is summarized. Both fabrication methods and theoretical simulations are discussed. Finally, development and perspectives of highly thermal conductive composites are presented.