Heat transfer of liquid metal alloy on copper plate deposited with film of different surface free energy

Liquid metal alloys (LMAs) are the potential candidates of thermal interface materials (TIMs) for electronics cooling. In the present work, buffer layers of Ag, Ti, Cu, Ni, Mo, and W were deposited on polished Cu plates by DC magnetron sputtering, the contact angles of de-ionized water and diiodomethane on the buffer layers were measured by an easy drop shape analyzer and the surface free energies (SFEs) of the buffer layers were calculated by the Owens-Wendt-Kaelble equation. Samples were prepared by sandwiching the filmed Cu plates and LMAs. The thermal properties of the samples were measured by laser flash analysis method. The SFE of the buffer layer has a strong influence on the interface heat transfer, whereas the measurement temperature has no obvious effect on the thermal properties of the samples. As the SFE of the buffer layer increases, the wettability, thermal diffusivity, and thermal conductivity are enhanced, and the thermal contact resistance is decreased.