| Abstract Scope |
As electronic devices shrink in size, efficient dissipation of waste heat generated at junctions become more challenging. One approach of rapidly transporting heat away from localized hot-spots is use of carbon nanotubes (CNT) that combine ultra-high thermal conductivity along axial direction with chemical stability and mechanical strength. CNTs, often used as coatings, fiber, film or aggregated paper, have shown significant promise in efficient heat-dissipation. However, the major limitation of most current designs is reusability and safety, because the nanotubes can disintegrate easily. This limitation is addressed by our design where CNT carpets/arrays are covalently bonded to larger substrates and act like built-in nano-radiators. This carpet not only provides heat dissipation, but also water repellency and EMI shielding. In-depth thermal investigation of these materials will be presented and current efforts in optimizing them for efficient thermo-electric conversion will be discussed. |