Advanced carbons in thermal management

Graphite, graphene and carbon nanotubes are the primary in-scope carbons in thermal management, exploiting exceptionally high thermal conductivity to spread and move heat in electronics, power devices, lighting and electric-vehicle battery packs. Compressed and expanded graphite heat-spreader sheets, with in-plane conductivity of 500 to 1,500 watts per metre-kelvin, are standard in smartphones and laptops, and single-layer graphene reaches up to about 5,000 watts per metre-kelvin, enabling ultra-thin spreaders. Carbon fibre adds combined structural and thermal function, with pitch-based fibre conducting up to about 700 watts per metre-kelvin along its axis in satellite and avionics panels.

Carbon nanotubes serve as through-plane thermal interface materials between a chip die and its heat sink, staying compliant under pressure without delamination and reaching thermal resistance below 0.1 square-centimetre-kelvin per watt in premium implementations. Graphene-enhanced polymer interface materials conduct 5 to 10 watts per metre-kelvin, against about 2 to 3 for standard silicone, drawing heat from battery cells to cooling plates and helping prevent thermal runaway. Nanodiamonds, with a thermal conductivity near 2,000 watts per metre-kelvin, are a high-value additive in specialty interface materials for server and power-module use, where cost limits volume.

The graphite and graphene heat-spreader market in mobile devices was estimated at about $700 million to $1 billion in 2024. The graphene automotive thermal interface material market was about $245 million in 2024 and is growing at roughly 19.3% a year, while the dedicated carbon nanotube interface material market was about $45.2 million and is forecast to grow at around 6.8% a year to 2032. Nanodiamonds, for which thermal management is one end-use, sit within a global market of about $415 million in 2025.