中国物理B ›› 2025, Vol. 34 ›› Issue (9): 96301-096301.doi: 10.1088/1674-1056/ade59f

所属专题： SPECIAL TOPIC — Heat conduction and its related interdisciplinary areas

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Phase change thermal interface materials: From principles to applications and beyond

Chenggong Zhao(赵成功)1,2, Yifan Li(李一凡)2,3,†, Chen Jiang(蒋晨)2, Yuanzheng Tang(唐元政)1, Yan He(何燕)1, Wei Yu(于伟)1,2, and Bingyang Cao(曹炳阳)1,3,‡   

  1. 1 School of Electromechanical Engineering, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, Qingdao 266061, China;
    2 School of Energy and Materials, Shanghai Polytechnic University, Shanghai 201209, China;
    3 Key Laboratory for Thermal Science and Power Engineering of Ministry of Education, Department of Engineering Mechanics, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
  • 收稿日期:2025-04-07 修回日期:2025-05-28 接受日期:2025-06-18 出版日期:2025-08-21 发布日期:2025-08-28
  • 通讯作者: Yifan Li, Bingyang Cao E-mail:liyf@sspu.edu.cn;caoby@tsinghua.edu.cn
  • 基金资助:
    The authors acknowledge funding from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 52306214, 52425601, and 52276074), the Shanghai Chenguang Plan Program (Grant No. 22CGA78), and the National Key Research and the Development Program of China (Grant No. 2023YFB4404104).

Phase change thermal interface materials: From principles to applications and beyond

Chenggong Zhao(赵成功)1,2, Yifan Li(李一凡)2,3,†, Chen Jiang(蒋晨)2, Yuanzheng Tang(唐元政)1, Yan He(何燕)1, Wei Yu(于伟)1,2, and Bingyang Cao(曹炳阳)1,3,‡   

  1. 1 School of Electromechanical Engineering, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, Qingdao 266061, China;
    2 School of Energy and Materials, Shanghai Polytechnic University, Shanghai 201209, China;
    3 Key Laboratory for Thermal Science and Power Engineering of Ministry of Education, Department of Engineering Mechanics, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
  • Received:2025-04-07 Revised:2025-05-28 Accepted:2025-06-18 Online:2025-08-21 Published:2025-08-28
  • Contact: Yifan Li, Bingyang Cao E-mail:liyf@sspu.edu.cn;caoby@tsinghua.edu.cn
  • Supported by:
    The authors acknowledge funding from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 52306214, 52425601, and 52276074), the Shanghai Chenguang Plan Program (Grant No. 22CGA78), and the National Key Research and the Development Program of China (Grant No. 2023YFB4404104).

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摘要： Phase change thermal interface materials (PC-TIMs) have emerged as a promising solution to address the increasing thermal management challenges in electronic devices. This is attributed to their dual mechanisms of latent heat absorption and phase change-induced interfacial wettability. This review explores the fundamental principles, material innovations, and diverse applications of PC-TIMs. The heat transfer enhancement mechanisms are first underlined with key factors such as thermal carrier mismatch at the microscale and contact geometry at the macroscale, emphasizing the importance of material selection and design for optimizing thermal performance. Section 2 focuses on corresponding experimental approaches provided, including intrinsic thermal conductivity improvements and interfacial heat transfer optimization. Section 3 discusses common methods such as physical adsorption via porous materials, chain-crosslinked network designs, and core-shell structures, and their effects on leakage prevention, heat transfer enhancement, and application flexibility. Furthermore, the extended applications of PC-TIMs in thermal energy storage are explored in Section 4, suggesting their potential in diverse technological fields. The current challenges in interfacial heat transfer research and the prospect of PC-TIMs are also discussed. The data-driven machine learning technologies will play an increasingly important role in addressing material development and performance prediction.

关键词: phase change thermal interface materials, contact thermal resistance, interfacial heat transfer, encapsulation

Abstract: Phase change thermal interface materials (PC-TIMs) have emerged as a promising solution to address the increasing thermal management challenges in electronic devices. This is attributed to their dual mechanisms of latent heat absorption and phase change-induced interfacial wettability. This review explores the fundamental principles, material innovations, and diverse applications of PC-TIMs. The heat transfer enhancement mechanisms are first underlined with key factors such as thermal carrier mismatch at the microscale and contact geometry at the macroscale, emphasizing the importance of material selection and design for optimizing thermal performance. Section 2 focuses on corresponding experimental approaches provided, including intrinsic thermal conductivity improvements and interfacial heat transfer optimization. Section 3 discusses common methods such as physical adsorption via porous materials, chain-crosslinked network designs, and core-shell structures, and their effects on leakage prevention, heat transfer enhancement, and application flexibility. Furthermore, the extended applications of PC-TIMs in thermal energy storage are explored in Section 4, suggesting their potential in diverse technological fields. The current challenges in interfacial heat transfer research and the prospect of PC-TIMs are also discussed. The data-driven machine learning technologies will play an increasingly important role in addressing material development and performance prediction.

Key words: phase change thermal interface materials, contact thermal resistance, interfacial heat transfer, encapsulation

中图分类号:  (Phonon interactions)

  • 63.20.K-
44.10.+i (Heat conduction) 81.05.-t (Specific materials: fabrication, treatment, testing, and analysis)