Thermal management with graphene–epoxy composites: Design strategies and emerging applications

Graphene and its derivatives, owing to their ultrahigh intrinsic thermal conductivity (2000–5000 W m⁻¹K⁻¹), structural versatility, and interfacial tunability, have become leading reinforcements for epoxy resins in thermal management applications. Beyond enhancing thermal conduction, graphene introduces multifunctional synergies spanning flame retardancy, electro-thermal conversion, phase-change regulation, and long-term stability. This review highlights not only the latest design strategies, covering dispersion control, interfacial engineering, filler alignment, and hybrid architectures, but also the cross-cutting insights that unify these approaches across diverse application domains. A key lesson emerging from recent studies is that multifunctionality can be achieved at ultra-low loadings when graphene is rationally structured into hierarchical or reactive networks, thereby overcoming the long-standing trade-off between thermal conductivity and mechanical or environmental performance. Equally, interfacial design proves decisive: subtle chemical modifications or noncovalent interactions at the graphene–epoxy interface governs thermal resistance, durability, and system reliability across operating conditions. By framing these advances into a coherent structure–property–application map, this review provides a new perspective on how graphene–epoxy composites can be deliberately engineered rather than empirically optimized. We conclude by outlining future opportunities in scalable processing, anisotropy regulation, and sustainable design, positioning graphene–epoxy systems as next-generation multifunctional materials for electronics, aerospace, and energy infrastructures.