Category: Transient Plane Source
Keywords: Carbon nanotubes, CNTs, Copper, elastomer, heat conduction, heat source, Heat Transfer, laser flash method, pressure, thermal conductivit, Thermal Conductivity, thermal contact resistance, thermal interface materials, thermal management, TIMs
Abstract: Thermal Interface Materials (TIMs) are used in the field of electronics, to reduce the thermal contact resistance between the heat sink and heat source, to improve heat dissipation within the electronic device. In this experiment, researchers created a TIM by synthesizing Carbon Nano-Tubes (CNTs) on both sides of a thin copper foil. To test the thermal conductivity of the foil with this enhancement, the transient plane source method was employed. The results concluded that a lower thermal resistance was achieved when a thicker copper foil substrate was added. The results also concluded, that when a contact pressure of 0.01 MPa was applied to the copper foil, the thermal conductivity was enhanced by more than 290%. Sylgard 160, a thermal conductive elastomer, was used to fill the space between the CNTs, to reduce the thermal resistance of the TIM.
Reference: Chemical Engineering Science, 65, 3 (2010) 1101-1108