Enhanced reduction of graphene oxide via laser-dispersion coupling: Towards large-scale, low-defect graphene for crease-free heat-dissipating membranes in advanced flexible electronics

Jiawei Sun; Yuwei Xiong; Haiyang Jia; Longxiang Han; Wen Ye; Litao Sun

doi:10.1016/j.scib.2024.03.020

Enhanced reduction of graphene oxide via laser-dispersion coupling: Towards large-scale, low-defect graphene for crease-free heat-dissipating membranes in advanced flexible electronics

Sci Bull (Beijing). 2024 Mar 9:S2095-9273(24)00164-6. doi: 10.1016/j.scib.2024.03.020. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Jiawei Sun¹, Yuwei Xiong², Haiyang Jia³, Longxiang Han², Wen Ye⁴, Litao Sun⁵

Affiliations

¹ College of Electronic and Information Engineering, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou 215009, China; SEU-FEI Nano-Pico Center, Key Laboratory of MEMS of Ministry of Education, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China; Jiangsu Industrial Intelligent and Low-carbon Technology Engineering Center, Suzhou 215000, China; Suzhou Key Laboratory of Intelligent Low-carbon Technology Application, Suzhou 215000, China.
² SEU-FEI Nano-Pico Center, Key Laboratory of MEMS of Ministry of Education, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China.
³ School of Physics and New Energy, Xuzhou University of Technology, Xuzhou 221018, China.
⁴ Jiangsu Industrial Intelligent and Low-carbon Technology Engineering Center, Suzhou 215000, China; Suzhou Key Laboratory of Intelligent Low-carbon Technology Application, Suzhou 215000, China; College of Chemistry and Life Sciences, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou 215009, China.
⁵ SEU-FEI Nano-Pico Center, Key Laboratory of MEMS of Ministry of Education, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China. Electronic address: slt@seu.edu.cn.

PMID: 38627135
DOI: 10.1016/j.scib.2024.03.020

Abstract

The advancement of flexible electronics demands improved components, necessitating heat dissipation membranes (HDMs) to exhibit high thermal conductivity while maintaining structural integrity and performance stability even after extensive deformation. Herein, we have devised a laser-modulated reduction technique for graphene oxide (GO), enabling the fabrication of high-quality, large-scale, low-defect graphene, which yields high-performance HDMs after orderly deposition. The work underscores the crucial role of the laser wavelength and dispersion liquid's coupling intensity in influencing the morphology and properties of graphene. Optimal coupling effect and energy conversion are realized when a laser of 1064 nm wavelength irradiates a triethylene glycol (TEG)/N,N-Dimethylformamide (DMF) dispersion. This unique synergy generates high transient energy, which facilitates the deprotonation process and ensures a swift, comprehensive GO reduction. In contrast to conventional water-based laser reduction methods, the accelerated reaction magnifies the size of the graphene sheets by mitigating the ablation effect. After membrane construction with an ordered structure, the corresponding membrane exhibits a high thermal conductivity of 1632 W m^-1 K^-1, requiring only ∼1/10 of the total preparation time required by other reported methods. Remarkably, the resulting HDM demonstrates superior resilience against creasing and folding, maintaining excellent smoothness and negligible reduction in thermal conductivity after violent rubbing. The combination of exceptional flexibility and thermal conductivity in HDMs paves the way for long-term practical use in the flexible electronics industry.

Keywords: Crease-free; Graphene-based; Heat dissipation membranes; Laser-irradiation technology; System coupling.