(July 10, 2015) Researchers
at Chalmers University of Technology have developed a method for efficiently
cooling electronics using graphene-based film. The film has a thermal
conductivity capacity that is four times that of copper. Moreover, the graphene
film is attachable to electronic components made of silicon, which favours the
film’s performance compared to typical graphene characteristics shown in
previous, similar experiments.
Electronic systems available today accumulate a great deal
of heat, mostly due to the ever-increasing demand on functionality. Getting rid
of excess heat in efficient ways is imperative to prolonging electronic
lifespan, and would also lead to a considerable reduction in energy usage.
According to an American study, approximately half the energy required to run
computer servers, is used for cooling purposes alone.
A couple of years ago, a research team led by Johan Liu,
professor at Chalmers University of Technology, were the first to show that
graphene can have a cooling effect on silicon-based electronics. That was the
starting point for researchers conducting research on the cooling of
silicon-based electronics using graphene.
“But the methods that have been in place so far have
presented the researchers with problems”, Johan Liu says. “It has become
evident that those methods cannot be used to rid electronic devices off great
amounts of heat, because they have consisted only of a few layers of thermal conductive
atoms. When you try to add more layers of graphene, another problem arises, a
problem with adhesiveness. After having increased the amount of layers, the
graphene no longer will adhere to the surface, since the adhesion is held
together only by weak van der Waals bonds."