Advances in Liquid Crystal Epoxy:Molecular Structures,Thermal Conductivity,and Promising Applications in Thermal Management

Traditional heat conductive epoxy composites often fall short in meeting the escalating heat dissipation demands of large-power,high-frequency,and highvoltage insulating packaging applications,due to the challenge of achieving high thermal conductivity(k),desirable dielectric performance,and robust thermomechanical properties simultaneously.Liquid crystal epoxy(LCE)emerges as a unique epoxy,exhibiting inherently high k achieved through the self-assembly of mesogenic units into ordered structures.This characteristic enables liquid crystal epoxy to retain all the beneficial physical properties of pristine epoxy,while demonstrating a prominently enhanced k.As such,liquid crystal epoxy materials represent a promising solution for thermal management,with potential to tackle the critical issues and technical bottlenecks impeding the increasing miniaturization of microelectronic devices and electrical equipment.This article provides a comprehensive review on recent advances in liquid crystal epoxy,emphasizing the correlation between liquid crystal epoxy’s microscopic arrangement,organized mesoscopic domain,k,and relevant physical properties.The impacts of LC units and curing agents on the development of ordered structure are discussed,alongside the consequent effects on the k,dielectric,thermal,and other properties.External processing factors such as temperature and pressure and their influence on the formation and organization of structured domains are also evaluated.Finally,potential applications that could benefit from the emergence of liquid crystal epoxy are reviewed.

Construction of core@double-shell structured energetic composites with simultaneously enhanced thermal stability and safety performance

The poor thermal stability and high sensitivity severely hinder the practical application of hexanitrohexaazaisowurtzitane(CL-20).Herein,a kind of novel core@double-shell CL-20 based energetic composites were fabricated to address the above issues.The coordination complexes which consist of natural polyphenol tannic acid(TA) and Fe~Ⅲ were chosen to construct the inner shell,while the graphene sheets were used to build the outer shell.The resulting CL-20/TA-Fe~Ⅲ/graphene composites exhibited simultaneously improved thermal stability and safety performance with only 1 wt% double-shell content,which should be ascribed to the intense physical encapsulation effect from inner shell combined with the desensitization effect of carbon nano-materials from outer shell.The phase transition(ε to γ) temperature increased from 173.70 ℃ of pure CL-20 to 191.87℃ of CL-20/TA-Fe~Ⅲ/graphene composites.Meanwhile,the characteristic drop height(H_(50)) dramatically increased from 14.7 cm of pure CL-20 to112.8 cm of CL-20/TA-Fe~Ⅲ/graphene composites,indicating much superior safety performance after the construction of the double-shell structure.In general,this work has provided an effective and versatile strategy to conquer the thermal stability and safety issues of CL-20 and contributes to the future application of high energy density energetic materials.

A review on the multi-scaled structures and mechanical/thermal properties of tool steels fabricated by laser powder bed fusion additive manufacturing

The laser powder bed fusion(LPBF) process can integrally form geometrically complex and high-performance metallic parts that have attracted much interest,especially in the molds industry.The appearance of the LPBF makes it possible to design and produce complex conformal cooling channel systems in molds.Thus,LPBF-processed tool steels have attracted more and more attention.The complex thermal history in the LPBF process makes the microstructural characteristics and properties different from those of conventional manufactured tool steels.This paper provides an overview of LPBF-processed tool steels by describing the physical phenomena,the microstructural characteristics,and the mechanical/thermal properties,including tensile properties,wear resistance,and thermal properties.The microstructural characteristics are presented through a multiscale perspective,ranging from densification,meso-structure,microstructure,substructure in grains,to nanoprecipitates.Finally,a summary of tool steels and their challenges and outlooks are introduced.

Highly Thermally Conductive and Structurally Ultra‑Stable Graphitic Films with Seamless Heterointerfaces for Extreme Thermal Management

Highly thermally conductive graphitic film(GF)materials have become a competitive solution for the thermal management of high-power electronic devices.However,their catastrophic structural failure under extreme alternating thermal/cold shock poses a significant challenge to reliability and safety.Here,we present the first investigation into the structural failure mechanism of GF during cyclic liquid nitrogen shocks(LNS),which reveals a bubbling process characterized by“permeation-diffusion-deformation”phenomenon.To overcome this long-standing structural weakness,a novel metal-nanoarmor strategy is proposed to construct a Cu-modified graphitic film(GF@Cu)with seamless heterointerface.This well-designed interface ensures superior structural stability for GF@Cu after hundreds of LNS cycles from 77 to 300 K.Moreover,GF@Cu maintains high thermal conductivity up to 1088 W m^(−1)K^(−1)with degradation of less than 5%even after 150 LNS cycles,superior to that of pure GF(50%degradation).Our work not only offers an opportunity to improve the robustness of graphitic films by the rational structural design but also facilitates the applications of thermally conductive carbon-based materials for future extreme thermal management in complex aerospace electronics.

Theoretical insights into thermal transport and structural stability mechanisms of triaxial compressed methane hydrate

The heat transfer and stability of methane hydrate in reservoirs have a direct impact on the drilling and production efficiency of hydrate resources,especially in complex stress environments caused by formation subsidence.In this study,we investigated the thermal transport and structural stability of methane hydrate under triaxial compression using molecular dynamics simulations.The results suggest that the thermal conductivity of methane hydrate increases with increasing compression strain.Two phonon transport mechanisms were identified as factors enhancing thermal conductivity.At low compressive strains,a low-frequency phonon transport channel was established due to the overlap of phonon vibration peaks between methane and water molecules.At high compressive strains,the filling of larger phonon bandgaps facilitated the opening of more phonon transport channels.Additionally,we found that a strain of0.04 is a watershed point,where methane hydrate transitions from stable to unstable.Furthermore,a strain of0.06 marks the threshold at which the diffusion capacities of methane and water molecules are at their peaks.At a higher strain of0.08,the increased volume compression reduces the available space,limiting the diffusion ability of water and methane molecules within the hydrate.The synergistic effect of the strong diffusion ability and high probability of collision between atoms increases the thermal conductivity of hydrates during the unstable period compared to the stable period.Our findings offer valuable theoretical insights into the thermal conductivity and stability of methane hydrates in reservoir stress environments.

Tree‑Inspired Structurally Graded Aerogel with Synergistic Water,Salt,and Thermal Transport for High‑Salinity Solar‑Powered Evaporation

Solar-powered interfacial evaporation is an energy-efficient solution for water scarcity.It requires solar absorbers to facilitate upward water transport and limit the heat to the surface for efficient evaporation.Furthermore,downward salt ion transport is also desired to prevent salt accumulation.However,achieving simultaneously fast water uptake,downward salt transport,and heat localization is challenging due to highly coupled water,mass,and thermal transport.Here,we develop a structurally graded aerogel inspired by tree transport systems to collectively optimize water,salt,and thermal transport.The arched aerogel features root-like,fan-shaped microchannels for rapid water uptake and downward salt diffusion,and horizontally aligned pores near the surface for heat localization through maximizing solar absorption and minimizing conductive heat loss.These structural characteristics gave rise to consistent evaporation rates of 2.09 kg m^(-2) h^(-1) under one-sun illumination in a 3.5 wt%NaCl solution for 7 days without degradation.Even in a high-salinity solution of 20 wt%NaCl,the evaporation rates maintained stable at 1.94 kg m^(-2) h^(-1) for 8 h without salt crystal formation.This work offers a novel microstructural design to address the complex interplay of water,salt,and thermal transport.

Microearthquake reveals the lithospheric structure at midocean ridges and oceanic transform faults

Mid-ocean ridge and oceanic transforms are among the most prominent features on the seafloor surface and are crucial for understanding seafloor spreading and plate tectonic dynamics,but the deep structure of the oceanic lithosphere remains poorly understood.The large number of microearthquakes occurring along ridges and transforms provide valuable information for gaining an indepth view of the underlying detailed seismic structures,contributing to understanding geodynamic processes within the oceanic lithosphere.Previous studies have indicated that the maximum depth of microseismicity is controlled by the 600-℃isotherm.However,this perspective is being challenged due to increasing observations of deep earthquakes that far exceed this suggested isotherm along mid-ocean ridges and oceanic transform faults.Several mechanisms have been proposed to explain these deep events,and we suggest that local geodynamic processes(e.g.,magma supply,mylonite shear zone,longlived faults,hydrothermal vents,etc.)likely play a more important role than previously thought.

Investigation on thermal characteristics and desensitization mechanism of improved step ladder-structured nitrocellulose

Nitrocellulose,or cellulose nitrate,has received considerable interest due to its various applications,such as propellants,coating agents and gas generators.However,its high mechanical sensitivity caused many accidents during its storage and usage in ammunition.In this work,two kinds of insensitive step ladderstructured nitrocellulose(LNC)with different nitrogen contents were synthesized.The products were characterized by FT-IR,Raman,XRD,SEM,elemental analysis,TGA,DSC,accelerating rate calorimeter analysis(ARC),and drop weight test to study their molecular structure,thermal characteristics and desensitization performance.Compared with raw nitrocellulose,LNC has a sharper exothermic peak in the DSC and ARC curves.The H50values of the two kinds of LNC increased from 25.76 to 30.01 cm for low nitrogen content and from 18.02 to 21.84 cm for high nitrogen content,respectively.The results show that the ladder-structure of LNC which provides regular molecular arrangement and a soft buffer made with polyethylene glycol could affect the energy releasing process of LNC and reduce the sensitivity of LNC.Insensitive LNC provides an alternative to be used as a binder in insensitive propellants formulation.

Investigation of the Structure Design and Heat Transfer Characteristics of Heating Cable

Indoor heating with an electrical heating cable,which has no harmful emissions to the environment,is an attractive way for radiant floor heating.To improve the heat transfer efficiency,a novel structure of the heating cable was designed by proposing the concept of the aluminum finned sheath.The transient heat transfer model from the embedded heating cables to the floor is established to validate the feasibility of this novel cable.The effects of the fin number and shape on the cable’s temperature and heat flux distribution were analyzed.The results show that,with the specific volume of the sheath,increasing the number of fins can enhance the thermal diffusion capacity of the heating cable and reduce its temperature.Rectangular fins exhibit higher performance for heat dissipation than triangular fins due to their larger surface area.The simulation result shows that the floor temperature above the cable rises from 5°C to 22.5°C after a 2-h heating process,which was validated with experimental results.The results and suggestions can provide reference to guide the design of the heating cable.

Experiments and Analyses on Heat Transfer Characteristics from a Solid Wall to a Strip-ShapedWick Structure

Centered or striped wick structures have been used to develop ultrathin heat pipes.Differing from traditional heat pipes,the centered or striped wick structures leave noncontact container surfaces with the wick structure.In this study,experiments andnumerical analyseswere conductedtoinvestigate the influenceof thesenoncontact surfaces.In the experiments,a strip-shaped wick structure was placed vertically,the top was sandwiched between wider rods and the bottom was immersed in a working fluid.The rod width was greater than the wick width;thus,noncontact surfaces were left between the rod and the wick structure.The heat was applied from the rod to the wick structure,and the evaporation heat transfer characteristics of the working fluid from the wick structure were evaluated.Water was used as the working fluid.The experiments were conducted by varying the rod and wick widths.The experimental results were obtained when the wick structures were placed separately.In the numerical analyses,the temperature and heat flux distributions in the rod were obtained.From the experimental and numerical results,it was confirmed that the noncontact surfaces caused the heat flux in the rod near both surfaces of the wick structure to concentrate,which increased the evaporation thermal resistance of the wick structure.A reduction in the noncontact surface area by increasing the wick width was found to be effective in decreasing the evaporation thermal resistance and increasing themaximumheat transfer rate of the wick structure.The separation of the wick structure increased the evaporation surface area.However,its effectiveness was limited when the heat transfer rate was small.

Functionally graded structure of a nitride-strengthened Mg_(2)Si-based hybrid composite

The ex-situ incorporation of the secondary SiC reinforcement,along with the in-situ incorporation of the tertiary and quaternary Mg_(3)N_(2) and Si_(3)N_(4) phases,in the primary matrix of Mg_(2)Si is employed in order to provide ultimate wear resistance based on the laser-irradiation-induced inclusion of N_(2) gas during laser powder bed fusion.This is substantialized based on both the thermal diffusion-and chemical reactionbased metallurgy of the Mg_(2)Si–SiC/nitride hybrid composite.This study also proposes a functional platform for systematically modulating a functionally graded structure and modeling build-direction-dependent architectonics during additive manufacturing.This strategy enables the development of a compositional gradient from the center to the edge of each melt pool of the Mg_(2)Si–SiC/nitride hybrid composite.Consequently,the coefficient of friction of the hybrid composite exhibits a 309.3%decrease to–1.67 compared to–0.54 for the conventional nonreinforced Mg_(2)Si structure,while the tensile strength exhibits a 171.3%increase to 831.5 MPa compared to 485.3 MPa for the conventional structure.This outstanding mechanical behavior is due to the(1)the complementary and synergistic reinforcement effects of the SiC and nitride compounds,each of which possesses an intrinsically high hardness,and(2)the strong adhesion of these compounds to the Mg_(2)Si matrix despite their small sizes and low concentrations.

Atomistic simulation of thermal effects and defect structures during nanomachining of copper

Molecular dynamics （MD） simulations of monocrystalline copper （100） surface during nanomachining process were performed based on a new 3D simulation model. The material removal mechanism and system temperature distribution were discussed. The simulation results indicate that the system temperature distribution presents a roughly concentric shape, a steep temperature gradient is observed in diamond cutting tool, and the highest temperature is located in chip. Centrosymmetry parameter method was used to monitor defect structures. Dislocations and vacancies are the two principal types of defect structures. Residual defect structures impose a major change on the workpiece physical properties and machined surface quality. The defect structures in workpiece are temperature dependent. As the temperature increases, the dislocations are mainly mediated from the workpiece surface, while the others are dissociated into point defects. The relatively high cutting speed used in nanomachining results in less defect structures, beneficial to obtain highly machined surface quality.

Smart heat isolator with hollow multishelled structures

Safe, green and efficient industrial production has always been the pursuit of the chemical industry. Since thermal energy is the driving force for most of chemical reactions, an ideal reaction tank would have the capacity to automatically regulate heat conduction rate. In detail, this reaction tank should endow an ability that resists the heat loss when the reaction temperature is lower than the target, while accelerating the heat dissipation when the system is overheated. In this case, this smart reactor can not only minimize energy consumption but also reduce safety risks.Hollow structures are known to reduce heat conductivity. Particularly, the hollow structure with multishells can provide more interfaces and thus further inhibit heat transmission, which would be more favorable for heat isolation. Step forward, by coupling HoMSs with temperature-sensitive polymer, a smart heat isolation material has been fabricated in this work. It performs as a good heat isolator at a relatively lower temperature. A heat insulation effect of 6.5℃ can be achieved for the TSPU/3S–TiO_(2)HoMSs with a thickness of 1 mm under the temperature field of 50℃.The thermal conductivity of composite material would be raised under overheating conditions. Furthermore, this composite displays an unusual two-stage phase transformation during heating. Benefiting from the unique multishelled structure, energy is found to be gradually guided into the hollow structure and stored inside. This localized heat accumulation enables the composite to be a potential coating material for intelligent thermal-regulator and site-defined micro-reactor.

Meso-Cenozoic lithospheric thermal structure in the Bohai Bay Basin,eastern North China Craton

The Bohai Bay Basin is a region where part of the North China Craton has been thinned and destroyed. It has experienced two periods of crustal thinning that occurred during the Cretaceous and Paleogene, but investigations of its Mesozoic and Cenozoic lithospheric thermal structure are limited. Therefore, in this study,the distributions of mantle heat flow, crustal heat flow, and Moho temperatures during the Meso-Cenozoic are calculated based on analyses of the thermal history of the Bohai Bay Basin. The results indicate that the ratio of mantle heat flow to surface heat flow peaked during the late stages of the early Cretaceous and during the middle to late Paleogene. The corresponding mantle heat flow was more than 65% of the surface heat flow. Moho temperatures reached three peaks: 900-1100℃ in the late stages of the early Cretaceous;820-900℃ in the middle to late Paleogene; and(in the Linqing Depression, Cangxian Uplift, and Jizhong Depression) 770-810℃ during the early Neogene. These results reveal that the Bohai Bay Basin experienced significant geological change during the Cretaceous, including the transformation of lithospheric thermal structure from "cold mantle and hot crust" before the Cretaceous to "hot mantle and cold crust" after the Cretaceous. The results also indicate that the basin experienced two large-scale rifting events.Therefore, this work may provide the thermal parameters for further investigations of the geodynamic evolution of eastern China.

Syntheses,Crystal Structures and Kinetic Mechanisms of Thermal Decomposition of Rare Earth Complexes with Schiff Base Derived from o-Vanillin and p-Toluidine

Three complexes, [Pr（NO3）3（HL）2] （1）, [Nd（NO3）3（HL）2] （2） and [Er（NO3）3（HL）2] ·0.5H2O （3）, were synthesized from the reaction of a Schiff base ligand 2-[ （4-methylphenylimino）methyl ]-6-methoxyphenol （C15 H15 NO2, HL） with Ln（NO3）3·6H2O （Ln = Pr, Nd, Er）. Characterization by single-crystal X-ray diffraction technique, elemental analysis, molar conductance, FT-IR, UV-Vis, ^1H NMR and thermal analysis shows the title complexes are neutral molecules where the central Ln（ Ⅲ） ion is ten-coordinated in biapical anti-hexahedron prism geometry, with four oxygen atoms of the phenolic hydroxy and methoxy groups in the two bidentate Schiff base ligands and six oxygen atoms provided by the three bidentate NO3 - anions. Additionally, the kinetic mechanism of thermal decomposition of complex 3 was determined with a TG-DTG curves by both integral and differential methods. The functions of thermal decomposition reaction mechanism and the equation of kinetic compensation effect were obtained.

Structure and Thermal Properties of Transition Metal Imidazole Chloride

The X-ray single-crystal structure analyses have been determined for two metal imidazole chlorides: [Fe(Im)6]Cl24H2O 1 and [CuCl(Im)4]Cl 2 (Im = imidazole). The red crystal of compound 1 is of triclinic, space group Pi with Mr = 607.31 (C18H32Cl2FeN12O4), a = 8.797(2), b = 9.068(2), c = 10.581(2) ? a = 75.35(3), ?= 83.20(3), ? = 61.85(3)o, V = 720.0(2) 3, Z = 1, Dc = 1.401 g/cm3, F(000) = 316, = 0.755 mm-1, R = 0.0353 and wR = 0.1227. The blue crystal of compound 2 belongs to monoclinic, space group P21/c with Mr = 406.77 (C12H16Cl2CuN8), a = 13.909(3), b = 8.8933(18), c = 15.086(7) ? ?= 118.32(2), V = 1642.7(9) 3, Z = 4, Dc = 1.645 g/cm3, F(000) = 828, = 1.666 mm-1, R = 0.0609 and wR = 0.1726. In solid state, both 1 and 2 form three-dimensional hydrogen bond networks to stabilize the structures which were also characterized by TG and elemental analyses. The thermal gravity (TG) data indicate that the residues are Fe and Cu for 1 and 2, respectively.

Hydrothermal Synthesis and Crystal Structure of a New Three-dimensional Heterometallic Coordination Polymer

A new 3d-4fheterometallic polymer {[Sm2Cu（PDC）2（SO4）2（H20）6]·2H2O}n 1 has been synthesized by Sm2O3, Cu（SO4）2·5H2O and pyridine-3,5-dicarboxylic acid under hydrothermal conditions. The compound crystallizes in triclinic system, space group Pi, with a = 6.352（7）, b = 10.040（10）, c = 10.315（11） A, α = 94.958（14）, β = 95.556（7）, γ = 99.747（14）°, V = 641.7（12）A3, Z = 1, M, = 1030.63, Dc= 2.651 Mg/m3,μ = 5.615 mm-1, F（000） = 491, the final R = 0.0491 and wR = 0.1345 for 2098 observed reflections with I 〉 2σ（I）. The compound is a three-dimensional network structure in which infinite lanthanide-carboxylate chains are linked by [Cu（$04）2]2- metalloligands to form a mixed-metal coordination network.

Hydrothermal Synthesis,Crystal Structure and Thermal Stability of a Binuclear Copper(Ⅱ) Complex with 3-(Pyridin-2-yl)-1,2,4-triazole

One novel binuclear copper（Ⅱ） complex [Cu 2 （Hpt） 2 （CO 3） 2 （H 2 O） 2 ]·H 2 O with copper carbonate and 3-（pyridin-2-yl）-1,2,4-triazole （Hpt） was hydrothermally synthesized and characterized by IR and X-ray diffraction analysis.The complex crystallizes in triclinic,space group P2 1 /n with a=0.6862（1）,b=0.7805（1）,c=1.1983（2） nm,α=72.03（2）,β=107.72（3）,γ=75.28（2）o,V=0.5884 nm 3,D c=2.105 g/cm 3,Z=1,F（000）=357,GOOF=1.041,the final R=0.01859 and wR=0.04348.The whole molecule is composed of two cooper ions,two Hpt molecules,two carbonate and three water molecules,forming a binuclear structure.The crystal structure shows that the cooper ion is coordinated with three nitrogen atoms from two Hpt molecules,two oxygen atoms from one carbonic acid and one water molecule,forming a distorted square pyramidal geometry.The TG analysis result shows that the title complex is stable under 131.0 ℃.

Synthesis,Crystal Structure and Thermal Decomposition of a New Energetic Potassium Salt of Bis(dinitromethyl)difurazanyl Ether

A new energetic organic potassium salt bis（dinitromethyl）difurazanyl ether potas- sium salt [K2（BDFE）] was synthesized, and structurally characterized by elemental analysis, IR spectra, t3C NMR and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. K2（BDFE） crystallizes in monoclinic system, space group C2/c with a = 17.342（3）, b = 12.6943（17）, c = 8.0972（11） A, β = 110.630（2）°, V = 1668.3（4） A3, Z = 4, Dc = 2.000 g/cm3, F（000） = 1000,μ= 0.675 mm-1, S = 1.058, the final R = 0.0499 and wR = 0.1452. The K ion is eight-coordinated with eight O atoms from one water molecule and four bis（dinitromethyl）difurazanyl ethers （BDFE）, forming a distorted dodecahedral structure. Thermal decomposition of the title complex was studied by using DSC and TG-DTG. There are primarily two exothermic decomposition processes between 200 and 370 ℃.

Comparative Study of Magmatism in East Pacific Rise Versus Nearby Seamounts:Constraints on Magma Supply and Thermal Structure Beneath Mid-ocean Ridge

Major elements of 2202 basalts from the East Pacific Rise （EPR） and 888 basalts from near- EPR seamounts are used to investigate their differences in magma crystallization pressures and mantle melting conditions. Crystallization pressure calculation from basalts with 5.0wt%〈MgO〈8.0wt % shows that magma crystallization pressures beneath near-EPR seamounts are positively and negatively correlated with Nas and Fes, respectively. However, these correlations are indistinct in axial lavas, which can be explained by chemical homogenization induced by extensive mixing processes. In each segment divided by major transforms and over-lapping spreading centers （OSCs）, near-EPR seamount lavas have higher magma crystallization pressures, higher Fes and lower Nas than the EPR lavas, which indicate cooler lithosphere, lower degrees and shallower melting depths beneath near-EPR seamounts than the EPR. The correlations between magma crystallization pressures and melting conditions beneath near-EPR seamounts imply that the source thermal state controls the melting degree and melt flux, and then melting process controls the shallow lithosphere temperature and magma crystallization depth （pressure）. The cooler mantle sources beneath near-EPR seamounts produce a lower degree of melting and a less robust magma supply, which results in a deep thermal equilibrium level and high magma crystallization pressure. The magma crystallization pressure decreases significantly as spreading rate of the EPR increases from ~80 mm/year in the north （16~N） to ~160 mm/year in the south （19~S）, while this trend is unobvious in near-EPR seamounts. This suggests that the magma supply controlled by spreading rate dominates the ridge crust temperature and magma crystallization depth, while the near-EPR seamount magma supply is not dominated by the axial spreading rate. Because most seamounts form and gain most of their volume within a narrow zone of 5-15 km from ridge axis, they provide good constraint on magma supply and thermal structure beneath the EPR. High magma crystallization pressures in seamounts indicate dramatic temperature decrease from the EPR. The crystallization pressures of seamount lavas are well correlated with mantle melting parameters but in a blurry relationship with axial spreading rate. Despite the adjacency of the EPR and nearby seamounts, the thermal structure beneath the near-EPR seamounts are controlled by their own magma supply and conductive cooling, chemically and thermally unaffected by magmatism beneath the ridge axis.