SBIR Phase I: Ultra-High-Efficiency Thermal Interface Materials Based on Self-Aligned Graphene Fillers

该小型企业创新研究第一阶段项目旨在展示革命性的新型热界面材料（TIM）和工业环境中TIM分散的创新技术。高效的热管理是半导体和通信技术进一步发展的最重要要求之一。 不断增长的散热密度需要新型TIM来从器件和芯片封装中散热。通过石墨烯薄片的新型功能化将实现热导率的强烈增强，石墨烯薄片在TIM基质中充当填料。石墨烯具有任何已知材料中最高的热导率。该项目将导致更好地了解石墨烯填料的复杂复合材料中的热传输，并澄清纳米颗粒表面功能化对填料和基质之间热耦合的影响。该项目的智力贡献将超越热管理，并影响将纳米结构单元化以提高先进材料的功能和性能的其他领域。预期待开发的石墨烯增强的TIM将具有超过市售TIM的热导率值一个数量级的热导率值。该项目更广泛的影响/商业潜力源于创建更高效的TIM的至关重要性，该TIM具有热管理革命性进步的潜力。这项石墨烯增强技术预计将在5亿美元的TIM市场上产生变革性的变化。 功能化石墨烯填料实现的更好的散热将对电子和汽车工业、通信、光伏发电以及航空航天和国防部门产生持久的积极影响。所提出的技术通过提供更强的热导率增强和相应的热阻降低以及工业上可行的TIM分散工艺而超越竞争对手。最后，拥有上级、成本效益高的技术信息管理系统将有助于保持国内在信息处理和通信等战略重要领域的技术领先地位。

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project aims at demonstration of a revolutionary new thermal interface material (TIM) and innovative technology for TIM dispersion in industrial environments. Efficient thermal management is one of the most important requirements for further progress in semiconductor and communications technologies. Growing densities of dissipated heat require new types of TIMs for heat removal from devices and chip packages. Strong enhancement of the thermal conductivity will be achieved via a novel functionalization of graphene flakes, which act as fillers in the TIM matrix. Graphene has the highest thermal conductivity of any known material. The project will lead to a better understanding of thermal transport in complex composites with graphene fillers and clarify the effect of nanoparticle surface functionalization on thermal coupling between the filler and matrix. The project's intellectual contributions will go beyond thermal management and impact other fields that unitize nanostructures for increased functionality and performance of advanced materials. It is expected that the graphene-enhanced TIMs to be developed will have the thermal conductivity values exceeding those of the commercially available TIMs by an order of magnitude. The broader impact/commercial potential of this project originates from the crucial importance of creating a more efficient TIM with the potential for a revolutionary advancement in thermal management. The proposed graphene-enhanced technology is expected to produce a transformative change in the $500 million TIM market. Better heat removal enabled by functionalized graphene fillers will produce a lasting positive effect on the electronic and automotive industries, communications, photovoltaic energy generation, and aerospace and defense sectors. The proposed technology surpasses the competition by offering much stronger enhancement in thermal conductivity with a corresponding reduction in thermal resistance, and an industrially feasible TIM dispersion process. Finally, the availability of superior, cost-effective TIMs will help to preserve domestic technological leadership in the strategically important areas of information processing and communications.