Oriented Structural Design of Thermal Interface Materials: Methods, Properties, and Challenges
Junwei Li, Tao Yang, Shipeng Rao, Menghong Li, Zhihong Zhang, Qinghui Jiang, Yubo Luo, Xin Li, Junyou Yang
Abstract
With the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) and big data technologies, electronic devices are evolving toward higher integration and power density, posing severe challenges for thermal dissipation.High-performance thermal interface materials (TIMs) used for minimizing the interfacial thermal resistance between the heater and heat sink are key to achieving efficient thermal management of electronic devices.To date, significant progress has been made in achieving high thermal conductivity by constructing oriented structures in TIMs.In this review, we systematically summarize and discuss the preparation methods for the design of TIMs with oriented structure.Furthermore, we particularly review the recent advancements in improving thermal contact resistance in oriented TIMs and emphasize that when the intrinsic thermal conductivity of the TIM is sufficiently high, thermal contact resistance becomes the primary bottleneck in heat dissipation.Finally, we outline the fundamentals of TIMs, the challenges, and potential directions associated with orientation structural design and practical applications, aiming to provide insights into the development of highperformance TIMs.