Thermally conductive plastics for innovative thermal management solutions

Abstract

The use of thermally conductive plastics (TCPs) to achieve novel solutions to challenging thermal management problems is discussed in this paper. Theoretical, computational and experimental approaches are all used to explore the use of TCPs for thermal management. This paper examines the possibility of using TCP heat sinks under free- and forced-convection environments to achieve equivalent or even better thermal management solutions than traditional aluminum heat sinks. An alternate approach of enhancing existing plastic housings / enclosures and including them in the thermal management solution is also proposed. Various ways to formulate TCPs and the trade-offs to consider for each of them are also discussed.