Palmitic-Acid-Grafted Epoxy Composite with Boron-Nitride-Coated Encapsulated Docosane for Efficient Thermal Management

The rising need for effective heat management in advanced electronics has driven the search for multifunctional phase-change composites with both high energy storage capacity and enhanced heat transfer. In this work, we designed a composite material in which chemically grafted phase-change molecules were integrated with epoxy- and boron nitride-modified encapsulated PCMs. The tailored epoxy–palmitic acid component provided heat absorption within the moderate temperature window of 36–52 °C, while the incorporated SiO2/docosane particles extended the endothermic response down to 30 °C. To address the challenge of limited interfacial coupling between filler and matrix, a sodium alginate modification strategy was employed, enabling improved structural compatibility and anisotropic heat conduction. As a result, the optimized composite reached a 4.72 W/mK thermal conductivity, while maintaining a substantial endothermic latent heat (125.5 J/g). When deployed on a CPU, the material effectively moderated temperature rise by combining dual-stage heat absorption with robust latent heat storage. These findings highlight the composite’s promise as a next-generation thermal interface material, capable of meeting the stringent cooling requirements of high-performance electronics.