Thermal Interface Composites with Vertically Aligned Liquid Metal-Coated Copper Fillers
발표자
최민영 (서울과학기술대학교)
연구책임자
구형준 (서울과학기술대학교)
초록
내용
This study presents a novel thermal interface material (TIM) composed of Cu and gallium-based liquid metal (LM). Due to its high thermal conductivity (401 W/m·K), Cu is widely used in thermal management composites. LM remains liquid at room temperature, offers moderate thermal conductivity (26.6 W/m·K), and readily forms alloys with Cu, enhancing interconnectivity and heat transport. To explore this effect, Cu particles coated with LM (LM@Cu) were used as fillers in PDMS matrix, and thermal conductivity was evaluated. To improve heat transport, dielectrophoresis (DEP) was applied to vertically align the LM@Cu particles. Cross-sectional SEM imaging confirmed filler alignment. A comparison between samples with and without DEP revealed that DEP improved thermal conductivity. Finally, thermal performance was validated using an operating LED setup, where the TIM with LM@Cu fillers showed the most efficient heat dissipation, evidenced by the lowest temperature rise.