Raman characterization of thermal conduction in transparent carbon nanotube films

Using materials with high thermal conductivity is a matter of great concern in the field of thermal management. In this study, we present our experimental results on two-dimensional thermal conductivity of carbon nanotube (CNT) films obtained by using an optical method based on Raman spectroscopy. We use four kinds of CNTs in film preparation to investigate the effect of CNT type on heat spreading performance of CNT films. This first comparative study using the optical method shows that the arc-discharge single-walled carbon nanotubes yield the best heat spreading film. We also show that the Raman method renders reasonable thermal conductivity value as long as the sample is a transparent film by testing CNT films with various transmittance. This study provides useful information on characterization of thermal conduction in transparent CNT films and could be an important step toward high-performance carbon-based heat spreading films.