Electro-Codeposition of Composite Materials for Enhanced Thermal and Electrical Properties

Abstract

State of the art cryocoolers, high powered electronic systems, semiconductor backplanes, and space platforms require next generation high conductivity composite materials that can reduce product weight while improving performance. To meet this need, Faraday Technology with the help of Universities, National Labs, and industrial partners is developing a scalable electro-codeposition method to produce high conductivity hybrid graphene/copper composite materials. Specifically, this talk will highlight two activities ongoing at Faraday and demonstrate the feasibility of fabricating either composite or laminated graphene-copper hybrid foils or direct printed composite nanowires via a pulse electro-codeposition approach. These activities indicated these composite materials can achieve a greater than 50% reduction in sheet resistance, a ~50% increase in mechanical strain, and a 100% increase in thermal conductivity compared to Cu foils. We will also discuss the opportunity to produce a wide range of material shapes by enabling a direct print apparatus that combines x,y,z control methods with an electro-codeposition printhead. If successful we envision that method to print next generation composite materials like ‘covetics’ that have the potential to meet many of the electronics and space community’s needs by enabling in space structural repairs, fabrication of new electronic components or sensors, or be utilized as heat exchanger composite materials. Finally, this activity also identified commercial partners interested in integrating these next generation into high powered electronics like laser diodes or invertors for electric vehicles.Acknowledgements: Faraday Technology acknowledges the Department of Energy and NASA SBIR activities under Contract No. DE-SC0021676 (DOE Phase II) and 80NSSC22CA099 (NASA Phase II).