Review of carbon-based heat sink materials for efficient and sustainable thermal performance in electronic device applications

Abstract

The advancement of high-performance electronic systems necessitates efficient and sustainable thermal performance. However, conventional heat sink materials exhibit limitations for the application of high-power devices. Therefore, emerging carbon-based materials have gained significant interest due to their excellent thermal properties and explore the potential as promising alternative materials for high-performance passive heat sinks. This paper addresses the principle of passive thermal management, the discussion on carbon as a recent potential material for heat sinks including the unique thermal properties of each material, highlighting their exceptional thermal conductivity, fabrication methods and integration material for incorporating these carbon-based materials into heat sinks. Furthermore, the discussions include potential carbon-based passive heat sink applications across a wide range of electronics cooling applications and the challenges associated with the practical implementation of these materials. This review found that both graphene and carbon nanotubes composites have demonstrated excellent thermal characteristics while the challenge is to understand the synergistic effect of the different flow paths for heat transfer within the structure in the electronic packaging stages. Compared to existing methods, this review offers a more efficient solution for managing heat in high-power and miniaturized electronic devices, contributing to the development of next-generation thermal technologies.