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Thermal Interface Materials for Power System Components

Award Information
Agency: Department of Defense
Branch: Air Force
Contract: FA8650-13-M-2384
Agency Tracking Number: F131-167-1002
Amount: $149,058.00
Phase: Phase I
Program: SBIR
Solicitation Topic Code: AF131-167
Solicitation Number: 2013.1
Timeline
Solicitation Year: 2013
Award Year: 2013
Award Start Date (Proposal Award Date): 2013-08-19
Award End Date (Contract End Date): 2014-05-19
Small Business Information
1776 Mentor Ave. Ste 170
Cincinnati, OH -
United States
DUNS: 807107706
HUBZone Owned: No
Woman Owned: No
Socially and Economically Disadvantaged: No
Principal Investigator
 Joe Sprengard
 President&CEO
 (513) 309-5947
 joe.sprengard@generalnanollc.com
Business Contact
 Cathy Conaty
Title: CFO
Phone: (513) 289-0940
Email: conaty.catherine@gmail.com
Research Institution
 Stub
Abstract

ABSTRACT: Improving heat transfer and enhancing mechanical compliance at interfaces has significant impact on military and commercial applications. For example, silicon carbide power electronics operate at much higher temperatures (~250 oC) than their silicon counterparts (<~120 oC) and occupy smaller volumes. Unfortunately, with current thermal management techniques, decreased heat sink volume and air flow available for cooling associated with miniaturization of devices result in thermal management challenges. Mismatch of mechanical properties is also exacerbated by the broader range of component operating temperatures. New, thermal interface materials (TIMs) are needed to prolong the lifetime of high power electronic components, and can be accomplished in two ways: (1) Reducing the device junction temperature given an equivalent thermal management system and (2) accommodation of thermal strains at heterogeneous interfaces to inhibit mechanical failure. Our work plan is designed to develop new materials to address both challenges. We will investigate two different, macroscopic carbon nanotube (CNT) architecutresdouble sided vertically aligned arrays on foil substrates, and planar CNT-based paper materials. The materials will be decorated with nanoparticles designed to reduce acoustic mismatch and promote interfacial heat transfer, as well as enhance elastic recovery of the TIM after expansion and contraction associated with thermal cycling. BENEFIT: The primary benefits are performance improvements derived from enhanced thermal conductance and extreme mechanical compliance that will be stable over multiple thermal cycles. For example, we have developed CNT-based TIMS with<10 mm2 K W-1 at contact pressures of 0.2 MPa, resulting in potentially significant component lifetime (>3x) lifetime improvements. We have also characterized the mechanical response of CNT-based TIMs to cyclic compression, and observed remarkable elastic recovery in the native CNT materials. We believe the nanoparticles will further enhance mechanical compliance.

* Information listed above is at the time of submission. *

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