Electrospun silicon carbide nanowire film: A highly thermally conductivity and flexible material for advanced thermal management

Abstract

As flexible electronic devices become increasingly compact and powerful, they generate more heat, necessitating efficient thermal management to ensure their reliable operation. Flexible substrates, which are essential components of these devices, often struggle to dissipate heat effectively due to their inherent low thermal conductivity. To overcome this challenge, the development of highly thermally conductive flexible substrates is crucial. By employing the electrospinning technique, large-area flexible films were successfully fabricated in this study. The film exhibited a notable in-plane thermal conductivity, reaching its maximum value at 38.4 Wm−1K−1. The film demonstrated its superior performance at a filler concentration of 50 wt%, displaying a thermal conductivity of 28.6 Wm−1K−1, a tensile strength of 27.8 MPa, and an elongation of 8.1%. Furthermore, the film exhibited exceptional flexibility, satisfying the requirements for next-generation flexible substrates. The present study unveils innovative findings concerning the fabrication of expansive and exceptionally thermally conductive flexible substrates, as well as the management of performance in filler-based macroscopic assemblies.