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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2017

Metallic Nanocomposites as Next-Generation Thermal Interface Materials

Thermal interface materials (TIMs) are an integral and important part of thermal management in electronic devices. The electronic devices are becoming more compact and powerful. This increase in power processed or passing through the devices leads to higher heat fluxes and makes it a challenge to maintain temperatures at the optimal level during operation. Herein, we report a free standing nanocomposite TIM in which boron nitride nanosheets (BNNS) are uniformly dispersed in copper matrices via an organic linker, thiosemicarbazide. Integration of these metal-organic-inorganic nanocomposites was made possible by a novel electrodeposition technique where the functionalized BNNS (f-BNNS) experience the Brownian motion and reach the cathode through diffusion, while the nucleation and growth of the copper on the cathode occurs via the electrochemical reduction. Once the f-BNNS bearing carbonothioyl/thiol groups on the terminal edges come into the contact with copper crystals, the chemisorption reaction takes place. We performed thermal, mechanical, and structural characterization of these nanocomposites using scanning electron microcopy (SEM), diffusive laser flash (DLF) analysis, phase-sensitive transient thermoreflectence (PSTTR), and nanoindentation. The nanocomposites exhibited a thermal conductivity ranging from 211 W/mK to 277 W/mK at a filler mass loading of 0-12 wt.percent. The nanocomposites also have about 4 times lower hardness as compared to copper, with values ranging from 0.27 GPa to 0.41 GPa. The structural characterization studies showed that most of the BNNS are localized at grain boundaries - which enable efficient thermal transport while making the material soft. PSTTR measurements revealed that the synergistic combinations of these properties yielded contact resistances on the order of 0.10 to 0.13 mm2K/W, and the total thermal resistance of 0.38 to 0.56 mm2K/W at bondline thicknesses of 30-50 um. The coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of the nanocomposite is 11 ppm/K, which lies between the CTEs of aluminum (22 ppm/K) and silicon (3 ppm/K), which are common heat sink and heat source materials, respectively. The nanocomposite can also be deposited directly on to heat sink which will simplify the packaging processes by removing one possible element to assemble. These unique properties and ease of assembly makes the nanocomposite a promising next-generation TIM.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2017

Metallic Nanocomposites as Next-Generation Thermal Interface Materials: Preprint

Thermal interface materials (TIMs) are an integral and important part of thermal management in electronic devices. The electronic devices are becoming more compact and powerful. This increase in power processed or passing through the devices leads to higher heat fluxes and makes it a challenge to maintain temperatures at the optimal level during operation. Herein, we report a free standing nanocomposite TIM in which boron nitride nanosheets (BNNS) are uniformly dispersed in copper matrices via an organic linker, thiosemicarbazide. Integration of these metal-organic-inorganic nanocomposites was made possible by a novel electrodeposition technique where the functionalized BNNS (f-BNNS) experience the Brownian motion and reach the cathode through diffusion, while the nucleation and growth of the copper on the cathode occurs via the electrochemical reduction. Once the f-BNNS bearing carbonothioyl/thiol groups on the terminal edges come into the contact with copper crystals, the chemisorption reaction takes place. We performed thermal, mechanical, and structural characterization of these nanocomposites using scanning electron microcopy (SEM), diffusive laser flash (DLF) analysis, phase-sensitive transient thermoreflectence (PSTTR), and nanoindentation. The nanocomposites exhibited a thermal conductivity ranging from 211 W/mK to 277 W/mK at a filler mass loading of 0-12 wt.percent. The nanocomposites also have about 4 times lower hardness as compared to copper, with values ranging from 0.27 GPa to 0.41 GPa. The structural characterization studies showed that most of the BNNS are localized at grain boundaries - which enable efficient thermal transport while making the material soft. PSTTR measurements revealed that the synergistic combinations of these properties yielded contact resistances on the order of 0.10 to 0.13 mm2K/W, and the total thermal resistance of 0.38 to 0.56 mm2K/W at bondline thicknesses of 30-50 um. The coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of the nanocomposite is 11 ppm/K, which lies between the CTEs of aluminum (22 ppm/K) and silicon (3 ppm/K), which are common heat sink and heat source materials, respectively. The nanocomposite can also be deposited directly on to heat sink which will simplify the packaging processes by removing one possible element to assemble. These unique properties and ease of assembly makes the nanocomposite a promising next-generation TIM.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2014

Investigation of Thermal Interface Materials Using Phase-Sensitive Transient Thermoreflectance Technique: Preprint

With increasing power density in electronics packages/modules, thermal resistances at multiple interfaces are a bottleneck to efficient heat removal from the package. In this work, the performance of thermal interface materials such as grease, thermoplastic adhesives and diffusion-bonded interfaces are characterized using the phase-sensitive transient thermoreflectance technique. A multi-layer heat conduction model was constructed and theoretical solutions were derived to obtain the relation between phase lag and the thermal/physical properties. This technique enables simultaneous extraction of the contact resistance and bulk thermal conductivity of the TIMs. With the measurements, the bulk thermal conductivity of Dow TC-5022 thermal grease (70 to 75 um bondline thickness) was 3 to 5 W/(m-K) and the contact resistance was 5 to 10 mm2-K/W. For the Btech thermoplastic material (45 to 80 μm bondline thickness), the bulk thermal conductivity was 20 to 50 W/(m-K) and the contact resistance was 2 to 5 mm2-K/W. Measurements were also conducted to quantify the thermal performance of diffusion-bonded interface for power electronics applications. Results with the diffusion-bonded sample showed that the interfacial thermal resistance is more than one order of magnitude lower than those of traditional TIMs, suggesting potential pathways to efficient thermal management.

30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION↗
DOE OSTI2017

Metal–Organic–Inorganic Nanocomposite Thermal Interface Materials with Ultralow Thermal Resistances

As electronic devices get smaller and more powerful, energy density of energy storage devices increases continuously, and moving components of machinery operate at higher speeds, the need for better thermal management strategies is becoming increasingly important. The removal of heat dissipated during the operation of electronic, electrochemical, and mechanical devices is facilitated by high-performance thermal interface materials (TIMs) which are utilized to couple devices to heat sinks. Here in this paper, we report a new class of TIMs involving the chemical integration of boron nitride nanosheets (BNNS), soft organic linkers, and a copper matrix -- which are prepared by chemisorption-coupled electrodeposition approach. These hybrid nanocomposites demonstrate bulk thermal conductivities ranging from 211 to 277 W/(m.K), which are very high considering their relatively low elastic modulus values on the order of 21.2 to 28.5 GPa. The synergistic combination of these properties lead to the ultra-low total thermal resistivity values in the range of 0.38 to 0.56 mm 2 .K/W for a typical bondline thickness of 30-50 um, advancing the current state-of-art transformatively. Moreover, its coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) is 11 ppm/K, forming a mediation zone with a low thermally-induced axial stress due to its close proximity to the CTE of most coupling surfaces needing thermal management.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2019

Thermal Conductivity of Thermal Interface Materials Evaluated By a Transient Plane Source Method

The thermal conductivity of thermal interface materials (TIMs) has been investigated using a transient plane source (TPS) method. In thermoelectric generators designed for vehicle waste heat recovery, high thermal conductivity materials are needed for the cold-side interface between a polyamide flexible circuit and an aluminum plate heat exchanger. The conventional heat flow method described by ASTM D5470 is often used to determine thermal contact resistance of an interface with a thin layer of interface material. The apparent thermal conductivity values provided by materials manufacturers are used to calculate heat transfer through the interface. Yet, estimated parameters based on the thermal conductivity of a TIM often do not agree with the actual heat transfer through the interface. Thermal conductivity of a series of 10 commercial TIMs were evaluated by applying a small quantity to an embedded TPS sensor. The 2-mm radius sensor was able to operate under standard bulk material measurement mode and produced consistent thermal conductivity measurements of the interface materials. The TPS method is demonstrated to be effective in ranking the available interface materials by thermal conductivity and to ensure that the material with consistent performance can be selected for the thermoelectric generator applications.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2018

Chemically linked metal-matrix nanocomposites of boron nitride nanosheets and silver as thermal interface materials

Herein, novel hybrid nanocomposite thermal interface materials (TIMs) relying on the chemical linkage of silver, boron nitride nanosheets (BNNSs), and organic ligands are reported. These TIMs were prepared using a co-electrodeposition/chemisorption approach where the electrolytic reduction of silver ions into silver nano-/micro-crystals was coupled with the conjugation of ligand-coated nanosheets onto silver crystals. Furthermore, the influence of bond strength of silver/nanosheet links on the thermal, mechanical, and structural properties is investigated using a combination of techniques; including laser flash analysis, phase-sensitive transient thermoreflectance, nanoindentation, and electron microscopy. Internal nanostructure was found to be strongly dependent on the linker chemistry. While the chemical grafting of 4-cyano-benzoyl chloride (CBC) and 2-mercapto-5-benzimidazole carboxylic acid (MBCA) on BNNSs led to the uniform distribution of functionalized-nanosheets in the silver crystal matrix, the physical binding of 4-bromo-benzoyl chloride (BBC) linkers on nanosheets caused the aggregation and phase separation. The thermal conductivity was 236-258 W/m-K and 306-321 W/m-K for physically and chemically conjugated TIMs, respectively, while their hardness varied from 495 to 400 MPa and from 240 to 360 MPa, respectively. The corresponding ratio of thermal conductivity to hardness, which is a critical parameter controlling the performance of TIMs, was ultrahigh for the chemically conjugated TIMs: 1.3x10-6 m2/K-s for MBCA-BNNS and 8.5x10-7 m2/K-s for CBC-BNNS. We anticipate that these materials can satisfy some of the emerging thermal management needs arising from the improved performance and efficiency, miniaturization, and/or high throughput of electronic devices, energy storage devices, energy conversion systems, light-emitting diodes, and telecommunication components.

2-D nanomaterials↗
DOE OSTI2021

Noncured Graphene Thermal Interface Materials for High-Power Electronics: Minimizing the Thermal Contact Resistance

We report on experimental investigation of thermal contact resistance, RC, of the noncuring graphene thermal interface materials with the surfaces characterized by different degree of roughness, Sq. It is found that the thermal contact resistance depends on the graphene loading, ξ, non-monotonically, achieving its minimum at the loading fraction of ξ ~15 wt%. Decreasing the surface roughness by Sq~1 μm results in approximately the factor of ×2 decrease in the thermal contact resistance for this graphene loading. The obtained dependences of the thermal conductivity, KTIM, thermal contact resistance, RC, and the total thermal resistance of the thermal interface material layer on ξ and Sq can be utilized for optimization of the loading fraction of graphene for specific materials and roughness of the connecting surfaces. Our results are important for the thermal management of high-power-density electronics implemented with diamond and other wide-band-gap semiconductors.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2012

Field-structured magnetic platelets as a route to improved thermal interface materials

The development of high-performance thermal interface materials (TIMs) is crucial to enabling future generations of microelectronics because the TIM is usually the limiting thermal resistance in the heat removal path. Typical TIMs achieve modest thermal conductivities by including large volume fractions of randomly-dispersed, highly-conductive, spherical particles in a polymer resin. This paper explores field-structured magnetic platelet composites as a new approach to more effective TIMs. The motivation for this approach is rooted in shape functional theory, which shows that when the particle material has a significantly higher thermal conductivity than that of the polymer, the particle shape and orientation are the factors that limit conductivity enhancement. Oriented platelets are highly effective for heat transfer and if these are magnetic, then magnetic fields can be used to both orient and agglomerate these into structures that efficiently direct heat flow. Here, we show that such field-structured composites have a thermal conductivity anisotropy of ~3, and at the highest particle loading of 16 vol.% we have achieved a 23-fold conductivity enhancement, which is 3-times larger than that achieved in unstructured platelet composites and 8-times greater than unstructured spherical particle composites.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2022

Module-Level Thermal Interface Material Degradation in HALT

Abstract In this study, thermal interface material (TIM) degradation is driven through highly accelerated life test (HALT) using temperature cycling with a prescribed vibrational acceleration for two commercially available materials having thermal conductivities of 6.0 and 8.5 W/m K. HALT specimens were prepared by applying TIM through a 4-mil stencil over AlSiC baseplates in the shape of those used in Wolfspeed CAS325M12HM2 power electronics modules. Baseplates were mounted onto aluminum carrier blocks with embedded thermocouples to characterize the thermal resistance across the baseplate and TIM layer. Thermal dissipation into the top of the baseplates was provided by a custom heating block, which mimics the size and placement of the die junctions in CAS325 modules, applying power loads of 200, 300, and 400 W. After initial characterization, samples were transferred to the HALT chamber with one set of samples exposed to temperature cycling only (TCO) and the other temperature cycling and vibration (TCV). Both sample sets were cycled between temperature extremes of −40 °C and 180 °C with vibrations applied at a peak acceleration of 3.21 Grms. After hundreds of cycles, samples were reevaluated to assess changes in thermal resistance to provide an accelerated measure of TIM degradation. This allows for reliability prediction of useful lifetime (illustrated in a solar inverter case study herein), as well as to provide a basis for developing an accelerated testing method to related temperature cycling to faster methods of degradation. Such techniques provide a means to develop maintenance schedules for power modules for ensuring sufficient thermal performance over the operating lifetime.

Engineering↗
DOE OSTI2022

Review of Thermal Contact Resistance of Flexible Graphite Materials for Thermal Interfaces in High Heat Flux Applications

In this report the data is reviewed on thermal contact conductance (TCC) and/or thermal contact resistance (TCR) at material interfaces which employs flexible graphite (FG) materials as thermal interface materials (TIM). FG materials are often used as TIM due to their conforming nature. While the overall TCR can be estimated straightforward from measured data, the interface TCR is much more difficult to obtain. The report also discusses the interfacial thermal contact conductance between FG-tungsten and FG-Glidcop-Al15, which are envisioned for high-heat flux applications.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2021

Effect of time and spatial domains on monolayer 2D material interface thermal conductance measurement using ns ET-Raman

Raman-based approaches to characterizing thermal properties of nanoscale and microscale materials have proven to be powerful experimental methods. Here, this work explores the potential of energy-transport state-resolved Raman (ET-Raman) for the precise determination of interfacial thermal conductance (G) between monolayer 2D materials and their substrates. ET-Raman employs a continuous wave laser and nanosecond (ns) pulsed laser to induce both steady state and transient heating while simultaneously collecting 2D material temperature information from the Raman signal. A 3D numerical model built using the finite volume method simulates the two differentiated thermal transport processes. The simulated temperature rises are compared with experimental Raman temperature information to extract G. In this study, we investigate the temporal effects of the pulse frequency and pulse width of the ns laser on precise characterization of G. By running multiple simulations for a range of pulsed laser frequencies and pulse widths, we determine that ET-Raman is most sensitive to precise interfacial thermal conductance measurements with short pulse widths (~below 20 ns) and with pulsing frequencies that ensure sufficient cooling time between consecutive pulses (~below 500 kHz). We also conclude that substrate thickness and laser spot size play critical roles in heat distribution and subsequent sensitivity to meaningful G measurements. As both laser spot size and SiO 2 substrate thickness decrease, detection of interfacial thermal transport becomes more difficult. These results offer essential guidance in the design of future Raman-based approaches to thermal measurements using pulsed lasers.

2D materials↗
DOE OSTI2019

Effect of substrate temperature deposition on the thermal and optical performance of ZnO thin films as thermal interface material

ZnO thin films were deposited onto aluminium substrates at different substrate temperatures from 300 to 450 °C by chemical vapour deposition method using zinc acetate dihydrate as precursor. The effects of substrate temperatures on the thermal and optical performances of a light emitting diode package were investigated. The thermal transients show that thin film deposited at 400 °C has the lowest thermal resistance and junction temperature with a different difference of 1.3421 K/W and 2.7 °C respectively. The correlated colour temperature of the LED interfaced with ZnO prepared at 400 °C showed a good agreement with the thermal performance and exhibited the lowest correlated colour temperature as the driving current increases. The luminance shows that bare Al demonstrate the lowest luminosity compare to the coated thin film as TIM. The excess heat that trapped within the air gaps affects the heat flow. This eventually affects the luminosity of the LED. Furthermore, the AFM measurements of CVD 3 (400 °C) samples show low roughness values which contribute to good thermal resistance and junction temperature values. Overall, the present study shows that the performance of the LED has been enhanced with ZnO thin film used as TIM.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗