Multifunctional Flexible Phase Change Composites With High Thermal Conductivity and Electromagnetic Interference...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Thermal Engineering

Background:

• Flexible phase change materials (PCMs) are crucial for thermal management in electronics but suffer from low thermal conductivity.
• Efficient heat transfer across interfaces remains a challenge in modern electronic devices.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a multifunctional flexible PCM with improved thermal conductivity and integrated electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding.
• To balance the thermodynamic properties, flexibility, and thermal management performance of the composite material.

Main Methods:

• Integration of intrinsically flexible solid-solid PCMs with a multidimensional thermally conductive network.
• Rational design of PCM structure, thermodynamic properties, and component ratios.
• Optimization of heat transfer network construction.

Main Results:

• Achieved high thermal conductivity (5.1 W m⁻¹ K⁻¹), latent heat density (63.9 J g⁻¹), and EMI shielding effectiveness (74.31 dB).
• Demonstrated excellent cycling stability over 1000 cycles.
• Reduced device temperature by 27°C when used as a thermal interface material, showing synergistic cooling.

Conclusions:

• The developed multifunctional flexible PCM offers a high-performance solution for thermal management and EMI shielding in electronic devices.
• This work provides a viable strategy for optimizing the composition and performance of flexible PCMs.