Printable thermal interface materials with excellent heat dissipation capability

Abstract

The rapid progression of electronic devices underscores the need for thermal interface materials (TIMs) with superior heat dissipation capabilities to address the overheating issues of high-power density electronic devices. However, the importance of excellent printability in practical automated production for TIMs has often been overlooked. This study introduces poly(2-[[(butylamino)carbonyl]oxy]ethyl acrylate)/liquid metal (Poly (BCOE)/LM) composites, which exhibit excellent printability and heat dissipation properties. The resulting materials, containing 80 wt% LM, display a low total thermal resistance of 0.69 cm² kW⁻¹, a low contact thermal resistance of 0.25 cm² kW⁻¹, a high thermal conductivity of 3.49 W m⁻¹K⁻¹, and effective printing capabilities through material jetting 3D printing onto chip surfaces. In thermal management applications, the composite material prepared in this work was able to reduce the temperature of the chip by a further 17 °C compared to a commercial product (Laird TFlex 300), thus highlighting its practical utility in automated production processes. This novel TIM offers a viable solution for addressing the thermal management needs of modern electronic devices.