Deterministic Manipulation of Heat Flow via Three-Dimensional-Printed Thermal Meta-Materials for Multiple Protection of Critical Components

Heat dissipation is necessary for the safer operation of high-power electronic devices and high-capacity batteries. Thermal meta-materials can efficiently manipulate heat flow by molding natural materials into specific structures. In this study, we construct a three-dimensional-printed meta-material structure with efficient and deterministic heat conduction through combining the 2D boron nitride (BN) with nano-diamond (DM) bridging. A research of thermal conductivity and dielectric properties exhibits that the nanosized diamond-bridged and oriented 2D boron nitride endows efficient heat transfer and maintains low dielectric loss with low filler loading. The composites loaded with 19 wt% BN platelets and 1 wt% DM have the highest thermal conductivity of 3.687 W/(m·K) in the heat flow orientation, while the thermal conductivity is only 0.632 W/(m·K) in the vertical heading of heat flow. The thermal conductive networks with thermal meta-materials based on the structural characteristics have been designed to secure critical device components from the heat source and dissipate heat flow in a definite way. The infrared images show that the temperature difference of monitoring points in different directions on the BN-oriented composite substrate is 9 °C, which realizes the protection of the heat source and key components. This study shows the latent capacity of 3D-printed structured materials for critical device component protection and heat administration applications in electronic devices and electric equipment.