Ultra-high performance Cu-Al-Ni as phase change material for thermal management of high-power electronic devices

Phase change materials (PCMs) offer tremendous potential in thermal management of high-power electronic devices (HPED). Solid-solid PCMs have become a powerful alternative to solid-liquid PCMs due to their incomparable advantages such as stable shape, no leakage risk, no corrosion, and long cycle life. However, intrinsic low thermal conductivity (18 Wm- 1 K- 1) impedes their practical application. Here, we report a class of Cu-Al-Ni PCMs exhibiting ultra-high thermal conductivity of 101 Wm- 1K- 1, and giant figure of merit of 5437 x 106J2K- 1s- 1m- 4, which is the highest value ever reported for all PCMs at working temperature (100-200 degrees C) of high-power electronic devices and 9 times than commercial PCMs. Furthermore, Cu-Al-Ni PCMs show adjustable phase transition temperature and excellent thermal cycle stability for applications at different operating temperatures. Thermal simulation also shows the significant heat dissipation effect for this PCM in thermal management of HPED. These unparalleled comprehensive properties provide Cu-Al-Ni PCMs with a high potential for use in the field of thermal management of HPED.