Enhancing the Thermal Conductivity of n-Heptadecane–Graphite Nanocomposite for Efficient Thermal Management

A simple impregnation method was employed to incorporate n-heptadecane into graphite, which possesses high thermal conductivity. The formation of the n-heptadecane–graphite nanocomposite was confirmed through X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and Raman spectroscopy analyses. Moreover, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images of the nanocomposite revealed that n-heptadecane was uniformly absorbed into the graphite structure, thereby preventing leakage of n-heptadecane during the phase transition process. The differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) results clearly demonstrated that the nanocomposite exhibited reversible phase-change behavior during both heating and cooling cycles. Based on the DSC analysis, the optimum loading content of n-heptadecane in the nanocomposite was calculated to be approximately 67.5 wt%. The prepared nanocomposite showed excellent thermal reliability and chemical stability after 300 melting/freezing cycles, indicating its high durability for long-term thermal applications. Furthermore, the thermal conductivity of the nanocomposite was enhanced in both the melting and solidification states compared with pure n-heptadecane. Therefore, the n-heptadecane–graphite nanocomposite can be considered a promising candidate for thermal management applications in electronic components subjected to high thermal loads.