Fabrication of Al2O3/ZnO and Al2O3/Cu Reinforced Silicone Rubber Composite Pads for Thermal Interface Materials

Abstract

Thermal interface materials (also known as thermal pads) are widely used as a crucial part to dissipate heat generated in miniaturized and integrated electronic components. Here, we systematically investigated the effects of small ceramic and metallic powders in rubbery thermal composite pads with a high content of aluminum oxide filler on the thermal conductivity of the composite pads. We optimized the compositions of aluminum oxide fillers with two different sizes in a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) matrix for rubbery composite pads with a high thermal conductivity. Based on the optimized compositions, zinc oxide powder or copper powder with an average size of 1 μm was used to replace 5 μm-sized aluminum oxide filler to examine the effects of the small ceramic and metallic powders, respectively, on the thermal conductivity of the composite pads. When zinc oxide powder was used as the replacement, the thermal conductivity of the rubbery composite pads decreased because more air bubbles were generated during the processing of the mixed paste with increased viscosity. On the other hand, when the copper powder was used as a replacement, a thermal conductivity of up to 2.466 W/m·K was achieved for the rubbery composite pads by optimizing the mixing composition. SEM images and EDS mapping confirmed that all fillers were evenly distributed in the rubbery composite pads.

Electro‐bio‐mechanical behavior of graphite nanoplatelets–silicone rubber‐based composites for wearable electronic systems

“…It thus makes them suitable for applications requiring high durability and thermal performance. Metal oxide fillers, such as aluminum oxide 22 or titanium dioxide, 23 provide enhanced flame resistance and electrical insulation properties. These fillers exhibit the potential applications of SR matrix in areas like electrical insulation or flame retardancy.…”

Boron Nitride/Carbon Fiber High-Oriented Thermal Conductivity Material with Leaves–Branches Structure

“…These advantages make SIR the first choice for the preparation of high-thermal conductivity TIM materials [10,11]. Traditional TIMs have attempted to enhance thermal conductivity by incorporating isotropic ceramic particles (such as alumina and silicon carbide), a method with limited effectiveness as per thermal percolation theory [12][13][14]. High-thermal conductivity materials like CF and carbon nanotubes (one-dimensional (1D) materials), along with BN and graphene (two-dimensional (2D) materials), exhibit anisotropic properties [15,16].…”

Thermally conductive and compliant polyurethane elastomer composites by constructing a tri-branched polymer network

“…[1][2][3][4][5][6] In particular, thermal interface materials (TIMs) were applied between chips and heat sink to fill the void and remove the heat effectively. [7][8][9] In general, TIMs were formed by filling high thermal conductivity fillers, such as metal fillers, carbon materials and inorganic thermal conductive materials, [10][11][12][13][14] into a polymer matrix.…”