Roadmap towards new generation liquid metal thermal interface materials

As electronic devices continue to evolve toward miniaturization and integration, traditional thermal interface materials (TIMs) are no longer able to meet the ever-tougher thermal management challenges. Owing to their high thermal conductivity and excellent conformability within a highly confined space, liquid metals have great potential for advanced thermal management in various cutting-edge devices and have become a key candidate for next-generation high-performance TIMs. In addition to already known materials, such as liquid metal alloy TIMs, particle-filled liquid metal TIMs, and liquid metal-filled TIMs, more TIMs are still being developed. This review presents a systematic classification of the liquid metal TIMs developed thus far, interprets the fundamental mechanisms underlying material innovation and in-situ heat transfer enhancement, and comparatively evaluates their respective advantages and shortcomings. Subsequently, a series of representative theoretical models for characterizing the thermal conductivities of composites are summarized, and the limits of the thermal conductivity of liquid metal TIMs are predicted to guide practical R&D efforts. To address the urgent need for higher-performance TIMs to overcome future thermal management challenges of electronic devices, a roadmap is outlined for the development of high-performance liquid metal TIMs, and a strategy for running these technologies is demonstrated.

Automated summary

As electronic devices become smaller and more integrated, traditional thermal interface materials (TIMs) are not sufficient for thermal management challenges. Liquid metals, with their high conductivity and conformability, have potential for advanced thermal management and are being developed as next-generation TIMs. This review classifies and evaluates liquid metal TIMs, discusses material innovation and heat transfer enhancement mechanisms, predicts the limits of their conductivity, and outlines a roadmap and strategy for developing high-performance liquid metal TIMs.