Sung-Ting Chen

(Advisor: Prof. C. P. Wong]

will defend a master’s thesis entitled,

Structure–Property Relationships in Graphene Foam/Epoxy Composites Enabled by Three-Dimensional Framework and Compression-Induced Densification

On

Tuesday, April 14 at 10:00 am – 12:00 pm

virtually via Zoom:

Zoom Link

Abstract 

Graphene-based polymer composites are promising for thermal management, but conventional approaches using randomly dispersed fillers often suffer from poor network formation and limited control over material properties. In this work, a three-dimensional graphene foam is fabricated via mechanical foaming and freeze-drying to establish a continuous conductive framework. A compression-induced densification strategy is further introduced to systematically control filler loading while preserving structural integrity. The resulting graphene foam/epoxy composites exhibit enhanced stiffness, reduced thermal expansion, and improved thermal conductivity compared to neat epoxy. Notably, despite similar porosity across different regions, variations in thermomechanical properties reveal the critical role of local microstructure. At higher filler loading, slight anisotropy in thermal transport emerges due to compression-induced structural alignment. This study demonstrates that combining a 3D framework with controlled densification provides an effective approach to tailoring structure–property relationships in polymer composites. 

Committee 

• • Prof. C. P. Wong – School of Materials Science and Engineering (advisor)
• • Prof. Meilin Liu – School of Materials Science and Engineering
• • Prof. Donggang Yao – School of Materials Science and Engineering