摘要
Effective thermal transport across solid-solid interfaces which is essential in thermal interface materials(TIMs),necessitates both optimal thixotropy and high thermal conductivity.The role of filler surface modification,a fundamental aspect of TIM fabrication,in the influence of these properties is not fully understood.This study employs the use of a silane coupling agent(SCA)to modify alumina,integrating experimental approaches with molecular dynamics simulations,to elucidate the interface effects on thixotropy and thermal conductivity in polydimethylsiloxane(PDMS)-based TIMs.Our findings reveal that the variations of SCAs modify both interface binding energy and transition layer thickness.The interface binding energy restricts macromolecular segmental relaxation near the interface,hindering desirable thixotropy and bond line thickness.On the contrary,the thickness of the transition layer at the interface positively influences thermal conductivity,facilitating the transport of phonons between the polymer and filler.Consequently,selecting an optimal SCA allows a balance between traditionally conflicting goals of high thermal conductivity and minimal bond line thickness,achieving an impressively low interface thermal resistance of just 2.45-4.29 K·mm^(2)·W^(-1)at275.8 kPa.
基金
financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.52373042 and 52103091)
the National Key Research and Development Project of China(No.2022YFB3806900)
the International Visiting Program for Excellent Young Scholars of SCU。