Shape stabilized three-dimensional porous SiC-based phase change materials for thermal management of electronic components

As electronic components get smaller and more powerful, effective thermal management is needed to address the problem of more heat accumulation due to increased power density. Phase change materials (PCM) have shown great potential in thermal management within confined spaces, but the low thermal conductivity of PCM, and low enthalpy and electrical resistance of composite PCM (CPCM) significantly limit its application in electronic systems. Herein, porous silicon carbide felt (SiC) with stable shape was prepared by using commercial carbon fiber felt (CF) as carbon source. CPCM was prepared by using a multi-layer porous network structure composed of silicon carbide nanowires and silicon carbide fibers as a three-dimensional frame structure to seal paraffin (PA), which improved the thermal conductivity and electrical resistivity of the PCM. The PA/S1 based on porous SiC skeleton has high thermal conductivity (0.794 W·(m·K)−1), high enthalpy (231.4 J·g−1), high energy storage efficiency (89.81%) and high electrical resistivity (2.05 × 106 Ω·cm), as well as good shape stability and acceptable thermal performance. As a kind of thermal management material, CPCM shows excellent heat storage performance and temperature resistance effect, which enlarges the time of the heating element in reaching its peak temperature by five times. Therefore, the CPCM has enormous potential in thermal management of electronic products.