A Flexible Thermal Interface Material as the Heat Switch for Solid‐State Cooling
At a Glance
Section titled “At a Glance”| Metadata | Details |
|---|---|
| Publication Date | 2025-07-28 |
| Journal | Advanced Functional Materials |
| Authors | Wenmei Luo, Xingwei Zhang, Tianlin Luo, Baowen Li, Baojie Wei |
| Institutions | Southern University of Science and Technology |
| Citations | 3 |
Abstract
Section titled “Abstract”Abstract The development of miniaturized, high‐integrated, and powerful electronic devices needs optimized thermal management solutions that enable active heat flow switching without moving components - a functionality that goes beyond the conventional thermal interface material (TIM). In this work, a flexible composite TIM is developed that enables magnetic field‐triggered direction change of heat flow, namely, the TIM acts effectively as a thermal switch. The material consists of liquid metal@nickel (LM@Ni) networks and diamond microparticles embedded in a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) matrix. The LM@Ni achieves both enhanced wettability on PDMS and magnetic responsiveness, while diamond provides the composite with high intrinsic thermal conductivity (13.92 W m −1 K −1 ). Upon applying a magnetic field, the composite undergoes a rapid deformation, creating an “on” or “off” state with a switching ratio of 22. By integrating the material with elastocaloric components, all‐solid‐state elastocaloric cooling cycles are successfully realized, which achieves cooling power of 81 W m −2 and heating power of 77 W m −2 . This work not only extends the application of TIM, but also bridges compact solid‐state cooling with efficient thermal management, establishing a new paradigm for TIM in smart thermal management applications.