A team of scientists at Massachusetts Institute of Technology have discovered a previously unknown phenomenon that can cause powerful waves of energy to shoot through minuscule wires known as carbon nanotubes. The discovery could lead to a new way of producing electricity, the researchers say. The phenomenon, described as thermopower waves, is such a new discovery that it’s … [Read more...]
Carbon Nanotubes as High Performance Thermal Interface Materials
Introduction Because of substantial increases in the power density of electronic packages over the past few decades, thermal interface resistance can comprise more than 50% of the total thermal resistance in current high-power packages [1]. Unless advanced thermal interface materials (TIMs) that achieve order-of-magnitude improvements in performance quickly emerge in the … [Read more...]
Pyrolytic graphite – thermal performance by structure
Continuing our discussion of different forms of carbon, this column addresses the topic of pyrolytic graphite, a material that opens up many interesting applications not only for cooling but also for scientific measurement equipment. Pyrolytic graphite - the finest forms of which are often called Highly Ordered Pyrolytic Graphite (HOPG) - is manufactured through a pyrolysis … [Read more...]
Diamonds are a Thermal Designer's Best Friends
Different forms of carbon, such as processed natural graphite, pyrolytic graphite, diamond-like carbon, and synthetic diamond, offer lots of possibilities for maximizing conductive heat transfer.Synthetic diamond has already found its place as a common solution for heat spreaders inside semiconductor laser components, where temperature stabilization is of utmost importance for … [Read more...]
