Interfacial Characterization and Thermal Conductivity of Diamond/Cu Composites Prepared by Liquid-Solid Separation...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Composite Materials

Background:

• Diamond/Copper (Cu) composites are advanced thermal management materials for electronic packaging and heat sinks.
• Surface modification of diamond is key to improving interfacial bonding within the Cu matrix.
• Titanium carbide (TiC) formation addresses chemical incompatibility between diamond and copper.

Purpose of the Study:

• To prepare Ti-coated diamond/Cu composites using a novel liquid-solid separation (LSS) technology.
• To investigate the effect of TiC layer formation on the thermal conductivity of these composites.
• To determine the critical TiC layer thickness for optimal thermal performance.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of Ti-coated diamond/Cu composites via liquid-solid separation (LSS) technology.
• Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) analysis to study surface roughness differences between diamond facets.
• Differential Effective Medium (DEM) model to estimate thermal conductivity variations with TiC layer thickness.

Main Results:

• The thermal conductivity of 40 vol.% Ti-coated diamond/Cu composites reached 457.22 W·m^-1·K^-1.
• AFM revealed distinct surface roughness on diamond-{100} and -{111} faces, linked to surface energy.
• DEM modeling indicated a significant decrease in thermal conductivity with increasing TiC layer thickness, identifying a critical value of approximately 260 nm.

Conclusions:

• Ti-coated diamond/Cu composites exhibit enhanced thermal conductivity due to TiC phase formation.
• Surface properties of diamond facets influence composite characteristics.
• Controlling TiC layer thickness is vital for maximizing thermal performance in these advanced materials.