Experimental investigation of phase-change nanofluids in microchannel heat sinks for high-power electronic thermal management applications.

The rapid escalation in power density and miniaturization of electronic devices has heightened the demand for highly efficient thermal management solutions.Conventional air and liquid cooling techniques are increasingly inadequate for dissipating concentrated heat fluxes, leading to thermal bottlenecks that compromise performance, reliability, and device lifespan.Against this backdrop, microchannel heat sinks have emerged as promising thermal management structures owing to their high surface-to-volume ratio, enhanced convective heat transfer, and compact integration potential.However, their performance is strongly dependent on the thermal transport properties of working fluids.This study explores the experimental performance of phasechange nanofluids in microchannel heat sinks designed for high-power electronic cooling.Phase-change nanofluids, formulated by dispersing nanoparticles into phase-change materials with latent heat capacity, exhibit dual benefits of enhanced thermal conductivity and augmented energy storage.Experimental investigations were carried out under varying heat flux conditions to evaluate thermal resistance, heat transfer coefficients, and pressure drop characteristics.Results demonstrate significant reductions in maximum surface temperature and improved critical heat flux compared to conventional coolants, highlighting the superior thermal buffering effect of latent heat during phase transitions.Furthermore, the nanoparticle addition improved thermal stability and heat transport efficiency without excessive pumping power penalties.The findings underscore the feasibility of phase-change nanofluids as next-generation working fluids for microchannel heat sinks, providing pathways for scalable deployment in high-power electronics, data centers, and aerospace systems.This work contributes experimental evidence to the growing body of research on hybrid cooling fluids and strengthens the case for nanofluid-based phase-change approaches as a breakthrough in electronic thermal management.