High temperature thermal management with boron nitride nanosheets

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Thermal Engineering

Background:

• High power density devices necessitate advanced heat dissipation solutions.
• Two-dimensional layered materials offer superior thermal conductivity and stability.
• Hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) is an electrically insulating material ideal for thermal management in electronics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effectiveness of layer-by-layer laminated h-BN nanosheets in enhancing lateral heat dissipation.
• To evaluate the impact of h-BN coated substrates on the thermal performance of reduced graphene oxide (RGO) devices.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of h-BN thin films by laminating h-BN nanosheets.
• Utilizing BN-coated glass as a substrate for RGO-based devices.
• Measuring operating temperatures and thermal performance under controlled input power.

Main Results:

• BN-coated glass substrates significantly improved heat dissipation compared to bare glass.
• The highest operating temperature for RGO devices increased from 700 °C to 1000 °C.
• BN coating effectively decreased operating temperatures at the same input power due to anisotropic thermal conductivity.

Conclusions:

• Layer-by-layer laminated h-BN nanosheets provide an effective method for enhancing lateral heat dissipation.
• The anisotropic thermal conductivity of h-BN (high in-plane, low cross-plane) is key to its thermal management capabilities.
• This approach offers a promising strategy for improving heat dissipation in integrated circuits and high power devices.