A review of emerging design and theoretical progress on vapor chamber for efficient thermal performance

Abstract

With the rapid development of the economy and society, the contradiction between energy supply and the deterioration of the ecological environment has become increasingly prominent. Efficient thermal management, capable of reducing water and energy consumption while maintaining environmental sustainability, has emerged as a pivotal factor in addressing the prevailing energy crisis, garnering significant attention. Due to latent heat induced super thermal conductive capability, robustness and localized hotspot mitigation ability, vapor chambers (VCs) have emerged as one of the most efficient thermal management solutions for high heat flux cooling. Numerous researchers have diligently worked on enhancing VC heat transfer performances from the aspects of wick design, evaporation/condensation, and liquid-vapor transport. Based on the specific functions triggered by structural changes, this review comprehensively summarizes the latest research progress of novel VC designs, encompassing aspects such as heterogeneous/hybrid wettability design, biomimetic wick design, vapor-liquid space design, nanoengineered and new materials, extreme scale design, and integrated design. Subsequently, the latest advancements in the optimization of wick-level thin film evaporation/boiling and the enhanced capillary performance are discussed, while offering comparisons of their respective advantages and disadvantages. Furthermore, the diverse applications of VCs in electronic cooling, proton exchange membrane fuel cells, battery thermal management systems, solar cells, waste heat recovery, and space exploration are introduced. Finally, this review is concluded by providing the existing challenges and suggested directions for future research directions.