Thermal properties of graphene: Fundamentals and applications

Graphene is a two-dimensional (2D) material with over 100-fold anisotropy of heat flow between the in-plane and out-of-plane directions. High in-plane thermal conductivity is due to covalent sp2bonding between carbon atoms, whereas out-of-plane heat flow is limited by weak van der Waals coupling. He...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:MRS bulletin 2012-12, Vol.37 (12), p.1273-1281
Main Authors: Pop, Eric, Varshney, Vikas, Roy, Ajit K.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Anisotropy
Applied and Technical Physics
Bonding strength
Characterization and Evaluation of Materials
Chemical bonds
Energy Materials
Functionalities
Graphene
Heat conductivity
Heat transfer
Heat transmission
Materials Engineering
Materials Science
Nanotechnology
Playgrounds
Substrates
Thermal conductivity
Thermal coupling
Thermal management
Thermodynamic properties
Two dimensional materials
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Summary:Graphene is a two-dimensional (2D) material with over 100-fold anisotropy of heat flow between the in-plane and out-of-plane directions. High in-plane thermal conductivity is due to covalent sp2bonding between carbon atoms, whereas out-of-plane heat flow is limited by weak van der Waals coupling. Herein, we review the thermal properties of graphene, including its specific heat and thermal conductivity (from diffusive to ballistic limits) and the influence of substrates, defects, and other atomic modifications. We also highlight practical applications in which the thermal properties of graphene play a role. For instance, graphene transistors and interconnects benefit from the high in-plane thermal conductivity, up to a certain channel length. However, weak thermal coupling with substrates implies that interfaces and contacts remain significant dissipation bottlenecks. Heat flow in graphene or graphene composites could also be tunable through a variety of means, including phonon scattering by substrates, edges, or interfaces. Ultimately, the unusual thermal properties of graphene stem from its 2D nature, forming a rich playground for new discoveries of heat-flow physics and potentially leading to novel thermal management applications.
ISSN:0883-7694
1938-1425
DOI:10.1557/mrs.2012.203