Study on Fabrication and Properties of Graphite/Al Composites by Hot Isostatic Pressing-Rolling Process

Graphite/Al composites have attracted much attrition due to their excellent thermal properties. However, the improvement of thermal conductivity (TC) is limited by the difficulty in controlling the orientation of graphite and the poor wettability between graphite and aluminum. In this study, a novel process for fabricating the Graphite/Al composites is proposed, which involves fabricating graphite film and aluminum foil into laminate material. Then, taking a rolling method, the fractured and well oriented graphite film can help the composite achieve high TC while maintaining a certain strength. The result reveals that both single and total reduction have a significant influence on the diameter and orientation of the graphite, and by adjusting the process parameters, composites with high TC can be acquired at a relatively low reinforcement volume. This near-net-forming process can directly meet the thickness requirements for electronic packaging and avoids the exposure of graphite to the surface during secondary processing, which is promising to promote the application for high TC Graphite/Al composites in thermal management.