Sintered Polymeric Composites with Very High Transverse Thermal Conductivity (PDRT08-019)

Transverse thermal transfer characteristics of state-of-the-art carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) materials impose significant limitations on the efficacy of electronic assemblies mounted in composite structures. Material technologies for effective heat removal from an electronic device and into the CFRP body are needed. Specifically, techniques that significantly enhance the through-thickness thermal conductivity of CFRPs will allow for a localized heat source to be spread throughout a composite structure, where in-plane conductivity is quite good. DR Technologies is proposing the usage of novel sintering conductive resins to overcome thermal resistance at interlaminar interfaces, thereby dramatically enhancing the transverse thermal conductivity of carbon fiber reinforced polymeric composite laminates. These sintered resins have recently demonstrated effective thermal conductivity of 50 W/m-K, an order of magnitude improvement compared to thermally conductive epoxies. Although the proposed materials are processed and cured like conventional polymeric composites, their thermal characteristics are much closer to solders than polymers.