Novel Composite for High Performance Thermal Interface Material

Navy operational needs dictate that thermal interface materials (TIMs) have high thermal conductance, high dielectric strength, form non-permanent bonds, and be resilient to vibration and abrasion. Available TIMs each satisfy a portion of these requirements, but not all of them.Glacigen Materials will develop a new class of TIM by creating a novel composite material. This material will be embodied as a sheet of tailorable thickness with very high through thickness thermal conductivity (exceeding 5000 W/m2-K), but limited thermal conductivity in-plane. Glacigen will subsequently demonstrate the capacity to engineer in-plane anisotropy where the thermal conductivity along a single direction is favored over other directions. Phase I work will demonstrate the process which enables the unique matrix microstructure with relevant materials and then impregnating the composite matrix with the functional phase. Phase I work will conclude with thermal and mechanical characterization. Phase I option work will demonstrate scaling and engineered anisotropy.