Copper‐Coated Carbon Fiber/Carbon/Epoxy Composites Fabricated by Vapor Deposition‐Electrodeposition Method With Enhanced Thermal Management Performance

ABSTRACT With the trend toward high integration, high power, and high frequency in electronic devices, heat dissipation has become a critical bottleneck limiting their advancement. This article investigates the important role of constructing three‐dimensional copper mesh structures to improve the thermal conductivity of composites. A copper‐coated carbon fiber/carbon (Cu@CFF/C) skeleton was prepared by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and copper electrodeposition, followed by the construction of copper‐coated carbon fiber/carbon/epoxy (Cu@CFF/C/Epoxy) composites using the liquid‐phase impregnation method. The influence of electrodeposition time on the thermal conductivity of the composites was systematically studied. Chemically deposited carbon structures broaden the heat transport pathway, and electrodeposited copper particles play an important role in the three‐dimensional network, and this copper‐enhanced 3D Cu@CFF/C network structure can improve the thermal conductivity well. The in‐plane thermal conductivity of Cu@CFF/C/Epoxy composites at 25°C reaches 3.45 W/(mK) with a composition of 5.52 vol% Cu and 11.11 vol% CFF/C, which enhanced 1715% compared to pure epoxy. Finite element simulations using COMSOL Multiphysics software incorporated the Fourier law into the transient heat transfer equation derived from the energy conservation principle, further confirming the enhanced thermal performance of Cu@CFF/C composites. The Cu@CFF/C/Epoxy composites exhibit good thermal management capabilities, validated by effective heat dissipation in LED application tests. The CFF/C/Epoxy specimen exhibited a relatively rapid temperature rise, stabilizing at approximately 47.4°C. These findings highlight the immense potential of Cu@CFF/C/Epoxy composites as advanced thermal management materials.