Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 8, 2026

Fabrication of Monolayer Graphene-Coated Grids for Cryoelectron Microscopy
Published on: September 8, 2023
Heat conduction across monolayer and few-layer graphenes
Yee Kan Koh1, Myung-Ho Bae, David G Cahill
1Department of Materials Science and Engineering and Frederick Seitz Materials Research Laboratory, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA. mpekyk@nus.edu.sg
Thermal conductance across metal-graphene-insulator interfaces is significantly reduced due to interface thermal resistance. This impacts heat dissipation in graphene electronic devices.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Solid State Physics
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Graphene-based devices are promising for electronics due to their unique properties.
- Efficient thermal management is crucial for the performance and reliability of nanoscale electronic devices.
- Understanding thermal transport at interfaces is key to optimizing device design.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify the thermal conductance (G) of metal/graphene/insulator interfaces.
- To investigate the impact of graphene layers on thermal transport.
- To determine the primary heat transfer mechanism across these interfaces.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of Au/Ti/graphene/SiO(2) interfaces with varying graphene layers (n=1-10).
- Measurement of thermal conductance using steady-state methods.
- Analysis of temperature dependence of thermal conductance (50-500 K).
Main Results:
- Achieved thermal conductance G ≈ 25 MW m(-2) K(-1) at room temperature.
- Observed a fourfold reduction in G compared to Au/Ti/SiO(2) interfaces, even with a single graphene layer (n=1).
- Identified series thermal resistance at both Au/Ti/graphene and graphene/SiO(2) interfaces as the cause.
Conclusions:
- Metal contacts and graphene layers significantly impede thermal dissipation in graphene devices.
- Phonon transport is the dominant heat transfer mechanism across these interfaces.
- Interface thermal resistance is a critical factor limiting electrical and thermal transport in submicrometer graphene electronics.
Related Concept Videos
Mechanism of heat transfer
Mechanisms of Heat Transfer I
Mechanisms of Heat Transfer
Conduction, accounting for approximately 3% of body heat loss at rest, is the process of exchanging heat between molecules of two materials in direct contact. This can result in both heat loss and gain. For instance, when the body is submerged in water, which conducts heat 20 times more effectively than air, it can either lose or gain significant heat.
Mechanisms of Heat Transfer II
The Electrical Double Layer
Network Covalent Solids
To break or to melt a covalent network solid, covalent bonds must be broken. Because covalent bonds are relatively strong, covalent network solids are typically...

