Fabrication and Characterization of Al₂O₃-Siloxane Composite Thermal Pads for Thermal Interface Materials

Abstract

In this study, Al2O3–siloxane composite thermal pads were fabricated using a tape–casting technique, and the thermal conductivity effect of the Al2O3 nanoparticle powder synthesized using a flame fusion process on siloxane composite thermal pads was investigated. Furthermore, various case studies were implemented, wherein the synthesized Al2O3 nanoparticle powder was subjected to different surface treatments, including dehydration, decarbonization, and silylation, to obtain Al2O3–siloxane composite thermal pads with high thermal conductivity. The experimental results confirmed that the thermal conductivity of the Al2O3–siloxane composite pads improved when fabricated using surface–treated Al2O3 nanoparticle powder synthesized with an optimally spheroidized crystal structure compared to that produced using non–treated Al2O3 nanoparticle powder. Therefore, this study provides guidelines for fabricating Al2O3–siloxane composite thermal pads with high thermal conductivity in the field of thermal interface materials.

Keywords

• thermal interface materials
• flame fusion
• Al₂O₃–siloxane composite thermal pad
• spherical Al₂O₃ nanoparticle powder
• thermal conductivity