Immiscible Binary Organic Phase‐Change Composites with Segregated h‐BN Networks for Advanced Thermal Management

The development of thermally conductive and leakage-resistant phase-change materials (PCMs) for next-generation electronics remains a major challenge in the development of thermal interface materials (TIMs). Herein, a simple and scalable strategy is reported for the fabrication of a multifunctional PCM composite (PPB30) by combining two immiscible organic PCMs, paraffin wax (PW) and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG), with thermally conductive hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) particles. Through simple melt mixing, the ternary composite formed a particle-stabilized emulsion, in which h-BN selectively localized at the PW-PEG interfaces, spontaneously creating a segregated filler network without the use of surfactants, encapsulation, or complex processing. The resulting composites exhibit outstanding thermal conductivity (>20 W m<sup>-1</sup> K<sup>-1</sup>), robust shape stability, reprocessable adhesion, and tunable latent heat capacity. Structural analysis and Lewis-Nielsen modeling confirmed that immiscibility-driven filler segregation facilitated continuous thermal pathways. Importantly, the composites are readily prepared by simple, low-temperature melt mixing of commercially available materials. In practical CPU cooling tests, PPB30 significantly reduced the peak operating temperatures compared with commercial TIM pastes, while also providing thermal buffering via latent heat absorption. These findings demonstrate that PPB30 offers a cost-effective, multifunctional, and process-ready TIM platform for efficient and stable thermal management of high-power electronic systems.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
Small
Published
2025-11-25
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.202510550
Primary Topic
Thermal properties of materials
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

Immiscible Binary Organic Phase‐Change Composites with Segregated h‐BN Networks for Advanced Thermal Management

Chae Bin Kim, Dong Hun Lee
Small
Thermal properties of materials
article

Immiscible Binary Organic Phase‐Change Composites with Segregated h‐BN Networks for Advanced Thermal Management

Chae Bin Kim, Dong Hun Lee
article en

Abstract

The development of thermally conductive and leakage-resistant phase-change materials (PCMs) for next-generation electronics remains a major challenge in the development of thermal interface materials (TIMs). Herein, a simple and scalable strategy is reported for the fabrication of a multifunctional PCM composite (PPB30) by combining two immiscible organic PCMs, paraffin wax (PW) and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG), with thermally conductive hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) particles. Through simple melt mixing, the ternary composite formed a particle-stabilized emulsion, in which h-BN selectively localized at the PW-PEG interfaces, spontaneously creating a segregated filler network without the use of surfactants, encapsulation, or complex processing. The resulting composites exhibit outstanding thermal conductivity (>20 W m<sup>-1</sup> K<sup>-1</sup>), robust shape stability, reprocessable adhesion, and tunable latent heat capacity. Structural analysis and Lewis-Nielsen modeling confirmed that immiscibility-driven filler segregation facilitated continuous thermal pathways. Importantly, the composites are readily prepared by simple, low-temperature melt mixing of commercially available materials. In practical CPU cooling tests, PPB30 significantly reduced the peak operating temperatures compared with commercial TIM pastes, while also providing thermal buffering via latent heat absorption. These findings demonstrate that PPB30 offers a cost-effective, multifunctional, and process-ready TIM platform for efficient and stable thermal management of high-power electronic systems.

SmallVol. 22(13)
Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital (KR), Pusan National University (KR)
Openalex Percentile: Top 70%
Thermal properties of materials
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.