{"id":8975,"date":"2012-04-09T16:36:18","date_gmt":"2012-04-09T20:36:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sciencebusiness.technewslit.com\/?p=8975"},"modified":"2012-04-09T16:36:18","modified_gmt":"2012-04-09T20:36:18","slug":"graphene-materials-faster-cheaper-at-cooling-electronics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/technewslit.com\/sciencebusiness\/?p=8975","title":{"rendered":"Graphene Materials Faster, Cheaper at Cooling Electronics"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Graphene<\/a>
Graphene molecular illustration (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A materials scientist at North Carolina State University<\/a> in Durham has created a new way of cooling high-temperature electronic devices with composites made of graphene. The work of Jag Kasichainula<\/a>, a professor of materials science and engineering at NC State, appears in the journal Metallurgical and Materials Transactions B<\/em><\/a> (paid subscription required).<\/p>\n

Graphene is a material configured as a layer of carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal lattice, with unusual qualities of strength and conductivity which make it a versatile ingredient for a range of potential electronics, communications, and industrial products.<\/p>\n

Kasichainula’s technique, developed through a grant from National Science Foundation,\u00a0 makes use of a copper-graphene composite that dissipates heat generated by electronic devices. The copper-graphene heat spreader attaches with an interface film, also made of a graphene-based material, in this case an indium-graphene composite.<\/p>\n

“Both the copper-graphene and indium-graphene have higher thermal conductivity, allowing the device to cool efficiently,” says Kasichainula. Thermal conductivity is the rate at which a material conducts heat. Kasichainula used a standard three-omega<\/a> technique to measure thermal properties of wires and films. He found the copper-graphene film’s thermal conductivity allows it to cool approximately 25 percent faster than pure copper, which is what most devices currently use.<\/p>\n

The journal paper describes as well a process to prepare the the copper-graphene composite, using electrochemical codeposition from a copper sulfate solution with a graphene oxide suspension. “The copper-graphene composite is also low-cost and easy to produce,” says Kasichainula. “Copper is expensive, so replacing some of the copper with graphene actually lowers the overall cost.”<\/p>\n

Read more:<\/p>\n