Enhanced thermal performance from liquid metal in copper/graphite filled elastomer

With the increasing integration level of modern electronics, thermal management becomes an urgent issue for guaranteeing the work efficiency and lifespan of electronics. On the basis of intrinsic high ther-mal conductivity nature, highly ordered graphite and copper stripes are densely aligned in the silicone gel pads in vertical (VCuGr) and oblique (@15 degrees CuGr) directions to couple the high thermal conductivity and mechanical softness. The wetting nature of liquid metal (LM) on the chemically treated Cu surface is utilized to form a LM layer on the two surfaces of thermal pads. The obtained LM-pad TIMs possessed ultrahigh through-plane thermal conductivity (VCuGr: 71.4 W/(m K), @15 degrees CuGr: 62.5 W/(m K)) under the normal packaging pressure. The thermal resistance decreased from 0.69 cm2 K/W to 0.25 cm2 K/W with the surface modification with LM. Theoretical simulation and practical thermal dissipation test results further demonstrate the excellent thermal management capability of these composites in high-power electronics.(c) 2023 Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of The editorial office of Journal of Materials Science & Technology.

Automated summary

With the increasing integration level of modern electronics, thermal management becomes a critical issue. This study utilizes highly ordered graphite and copper stripes in silicone gel pads to achieve high thermal conductivity and mechanical softness. The addition of liquid metal (LM) on the surface of thermal pads significantly improves the thermal conductivity and decreases the thermal resistance. The results demonstrate the excellent thermal management capability of these composites in high-power electronics.