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Exploring Trade-offs in Thermal Interface Materials: The Impact of Polymer-Filler Interfaces on Thermal Conductivity and Thixotropy

  • Research Article
  • Special Issue: Functional Polymer Materials
  • Published:
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Abstract

Effective thermal transport across solid-solid interfaces, essential in thermal interface materials (TIMs), necessitates both optimal thixotropy and high thermal conductivity. The role of filler surface modification, a fundamental aspect of TIM fabrication, in influencing these properties is not fully understood. This study employs the use of a silane coupling agent (SCA) to modify alumina, integrating experimental approaches with molecular dynamics simulations, to elucidate the interface effects on thixotropy and thermal conductivity in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-based TIMs. Our findings reveal that varying SCAs modify both interface binding energy and transition layer thickness. The interface binding energy restricts macromolecular segmental relaxation near the interface, hindering desirable thixotropy and bond line thickness. Conversely, the transition layer thickness at the interface positively influences thermal conductivity, facilitating phonon transport between the polymer and filler. Consequently, selecting an optimal SCA enables a balance between traditionally conflicting goals of high thermal conductivity and minimal bond line thickness, achieving an impressively low interface thermal resistance of just 2.45–4.29 K·mm2·W−1 at 40 psi.

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Data Availability Statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request. The author’s contact information: kaiwu@scu.edu.cn

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Acknowledgments

This work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 52373042 and 52103091), the National Key Research and Development Project of China (No. 2022YFB3806900) and the International Visiting Program for Excellent Young Scholars of SCU.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Polymer Science and Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610065, China

    Bin Zhang, Zheng-Li Dou, Yong-Zheng Zhang, Qiang Fu & Kai Wu

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  1. Bin Zhang
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  2. Zheng-Li Dou
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Correspondence to Kai Wu.

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Exploring Trade-offs in Thermal Interface Materials: The Impact of Polymer-Filler Interfaces on Thermal Conductivity and Thixotropy

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Zhang, B., Dou, ZL., Zhang, YZ. et al. Exploring Trade-offs in Thermal Interface Materials: The Impact of Polymer-Filler Interfaces on Thermal Conductivity and Thixotropy. Chin J Polym Sci (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10118-024-3101-0

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