This paper provides a study of some relevant electro-thermal properties of commercial films made by pressed graphene nano-platelets (GNPs), in view of their use as heating elements in innovative de-icing systems for aerospace applications. The equivalent electrical resistivity and thermal emissivity were studied, by means of models and experimental characterization. Macroscopic strips with a length on the order of tens of centimeters were analyzed, either made by pure GNPs or by composite mixtures of GNPs and a small percentage of polymeric binders. Analytical models are derived and experimentally validated. The thermal response of these graphene films when acting as a heating element is studied and discussed.

This paper investigates the feasibility of a multi-purpose use of thin films of industrial-grade graphene, adopted initially to realize advanced coatings for thermal management or electromagnetic shielding. Indeed, it is demonstrated that such coatings can be conveniently used as distributed temperature sensors based on the sensitivity of their electrical resistance to temperature. The study is carried out by characterizing three nanomaterials differing in the percentage of graphene nanoplatelets in the temperature range from −40 °C to +60 °C. The paper demonstrates the presence of a reproducible and linear negative temperature coefficient behavior, with a temperature coefficient of the resistance of the order of $-1.5·{10}^{-3}$${°\mathrm{C}}^{-1}$. A linear sensor model is then developed and validated through an uncertainty-based approach, yielding a temperature prediction uncertainty of approximately ±2 °C. Finally, the robustness of the sensor concerning moderate environmental variations is verified, as the errors introduced by relative humidity values in the range from 40% to 60% are included in the model’s uncertainty bounds. These results suggest the realistic possibility of adding temperature-sensing capabilities to these graphene coatings with minimal increase in complexity and cost.

This paper investigates the electrothermal behavior of macroscopic graphene strips, with the aim of modelling the variation of the electrical resistivity with the temperature. Three types of materials are studied, made with different percentage of a low-cost commercial graphene (graphene nanoplatelets). By combining the results coming from an experimental characterization with those given by a numerical simulation, a simple model is derived, where the resistivity is linearly related to the temperature. These materials are found to show a negative temperature coefficient of the resistance in a wide temperature range (−60,+60) °C, that makes them promising for applications such as electronic packages, temperature sensors, thermristors.