Interfacial Thermal Resistance Research Articles

Improved thermal conductivity of epoxy composites filled with three-dimensional boron nitride ceramics-carbon hybrids

Epoxy (EP) is the preferred packaging materials used as a crucial component in power semiconductor devices. However, its low thermal conductivity (TC) always has negative impact in the heat dissipation of electronic devices. In this paper, we use hole-making method to prepare three-dimensional boron nitride ceramics-carbon (3D-BN-C) hybrids which are filled in EP matrix to improve the TC of the 3D-BN-C/EP composites. The results show that TC values of 3D-BN-C/EP composites are much superior to the BN/EP composite with random distribution of BN and 3D-BN/EP composite without carbon. The improved TC is mainly attributed to the high TC-3D skeleton structure and the low interface thermal resistance (R) due to the carbon connected with BN fillers. Infrared thermal images and Comsol simulation demonstrate that high TC 3D-BN-C/EP composite offers excellent heat dissipation capability of EP composites used as packing insulation materials. In addition, the dielectric loss of 3D-BN-C/EP composite still remains at a relative low level in a wide frequency range, exhibiting good insulation property and great potential to be used as high-performance packing insulation materials in electronic device applications.

Microscopic thermal characteristics of parallelly arranged nanowires in a liquid: the role of interface thermal resistance, solid-like liquid layer, and the restricted phonon transport

Nanofluids based on extended nanostructures, such as nanowires, have been demonstrated improved thermal conductivities (κ). However, the lack of a complete understanding at the microscopic level hinders the development of such nanofluids towards practical applications. We aim to provide it by investigating how the interface thermal resistance (R b ), ballistic phonon transport, and the solid-like liquid layer affect the heat conduction in nanowire-based nanofluids. By employing Non-Equilibrium Molecular Dynamics (NEMD), it is found that the heat conduction in the parallelly arranged liquid and the nanowires exhibit a coupled thermal behavior owing to the R b . This contradicts the predictions of the classical parallel heat conduction model, therefore, a novel model is proposed taking this coupled behavior into account. Using this model, it is shown that the high κ of the solid phase has a limited contribution to the effective κ of nanofluids having short nanowires due to the dominant R b effect. For the case of long nanowires, however, the individual nanowire κ becomes a vital parameter defining the effective κ. Further, NEMD calculations reveal that the κ of suspended nanowires in a liquid is markedly reduced, questioning the validity of classical effective medium theories which use the bulk parameters. This reduction is attributed to surface atoms’ restricted vibrational freedom and the nanowire’s phonon-boundary scattering. By substituting this reduced κ of the solid phase into the new mathematical model, the theoretical predictions align closely with the NEMD calculations, exhibiting deviations below 10%. The sole contribution from the solid-like liquid layer to the κ enhancement lies between 20%–30% in the nanofluids presently considered. Therefore, the findings of this study highlight the important roles play by the identified microscopic thermal characteristics in defining the effective κ of nanofluids based on nanowires.

Dual Protective Porous Ti3 C2 Tx MXene/Polyimide Composite Film for Thermal Insulation and Electromagnetic Interference Shielding.

The thriving 5G communication technology leads to the high demand for EMI shielding materials and thermal management materials. Particularly, portable thermal-sensitive electronic devices have more stringent requirements for thermal insulation performances. In most cases, ultrathin EMI shielding materials integrated with ultralow thermal conductivity are not easy to be achieved. To overcome this obstacle, dual protective porous composite films based on Ti3 C2 Tx MXene and polyimide are fabricated by sacrificing polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) templates. By optimizing the contact thermal resistance and Kapitza resistance, the composite film presents superior thermal insulation performances with a thermal conductivity of 0.0136 W m-1 K-1 . Moreover, the hybrid porous film maintains superior EMI shielding effectiveness of 63.0 dB and high SSE/t of 31651.2 dB cm2 g-1 . Nevertheless, the excellent active and passive heating ability based on Joule heating and photothermal conversion makes the composite film an ideal portable material for thermal management. This work sheds light on designing thermal management materials and EMI shielding materials for cutting-edge electronic devices.

A facile method to fabricate water-dispersible hetero-structured AuNPs@BNNS hybrid filler and its application for enhancing thermal conductivity

Chemical inertness of BNNS seriously restricts its application for fabricating thermally conductive polymer-based composites with uniform dispersion and low interfacial thermal resistance. In this work, by using self-initiated photografting and photopolymerization (SIPGP) method, over 40 wt% polyacrylic acid (PAA) macromolecular chains can be grafted onto BNNS in only 2 h for improving polarity and water dispersibility of BNNS, and the content of grafted PAA can be easily tuned by the reaction time. Furthermore, based on the coordination effect between carboxyl groups of PAA and Au3+/AuNPs, large amount of AuNPs can be immobilized onto BNNS to form hetero-structured AuNPs@BNNS hybrid filler, and such filler is beneficial for decreasing interfacial thermal resistance between fillers, constructing thermally conductive network in relatively lower filler content and improving comprehensive thermal conductivity. Finally, AuNPs@BNNS/NFC composite with only 30 wt% filler can reach in-plane and through-plane thermal conductivities of 19 and 1.22 W/(m·K) simultaneously. Therefore, this study provides a simple and effective method to fabricate water-dispersible and hetero-structured AuNPs@BNNS hybrid filler, which can be used for preparation of high-efficiency thermal management materials for electronic devices effectively.

Prognostic analysis of thermal interface material effects on anisotropic heat transfer characteristics and state of health of a 21700 cylindrical lithium-ion battery module

In this study, a semi-empirical computational heat transfer model has been developed to simulate anisotropic thermal characteristics in nickel-rich rechargeable 21700 lithium-ion battery modules with thermal interface materials. A set of conservation equations were developed and numerically solved using a finite-volume-based computational fluid dynamics technique. Experimental measurements of direct current internal resistance, temperature-dependent open circuit potential, and electrochemical impedance were conducted to obtain thermal and electrical data prior to the development of battery heat generation and performance aging models. Detailed reversible and irreversible heat generation rates in battery modeling could be fully addressed and evaluated from the experimental data for post-extensive numerical analysis. After validating the developed battery models against measured experimental data, further numerical analyses were performed to evaluate the effect of thermal interface materials on the battery module temperatures and the state of health. Numerical results showed that the cooling performance of the battery module was improved by reducing interfacial thermal contact resistances after the thermal interfacing application. Moreover, it was found that the parallel thermal conductivity of the interfacing materials to bottom cooling channels is primarily related to the uniform temperature distribution of the battery module, whereas the vertical thermal conductivity is rather associated with maximum temperature. These features are clearly apparent with increased coolant flow rate and thermal interfacing thickness. Lastly, the state of health of the battery module can be enhanced with improved temperature uniformity and decreased maximum temperature of the module when the thermal interfacing materials are employed.

Nanoadditives induced enhancement of thermal energy storage properties of molten salt: Insights from experiments and molecular dynamics simulations

Current concentrated solar power (CSP) plants use molten salts as heat storage and heat transfer medium. The thermal property enhancement of molten salts can increase the efficiency and lower the investment cost of CSP plants. In this study, the experiments and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were employed to investigate the effect of doping Al2O3, SiO2 nanoparticles or multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) on the specific heat capacity (SHC) of ternary carbonate salt. The results show that the SHC of molten salt can be enhanced by adding nanoadditives. The addition of MWCNTs has the largest SHC enhancement in both solid and liquid states. Based on MD simulations, the radial distribution functions, number density distribution and vibrational density of states were further analyzed to reveal the effect of nanoadditive, base salt and interface thermal resistance between them on SHC at different temperatures. It is found that the nanoadditive agglomeration, the ion spacing of base salt, and the thermal resistance between base salt and nanoadditive is independent on temperature and cannot result in the enhanced SHC of liquid nanocomposites. Moreover, the thickness of interfacial layer changes with temperature. The thicker interfacial layer leads to the higher SHC of liquid nanocomposites. The interfacial layer also has a decisive influence on SHC of solid nanocomposites. The scanning electron microscopy images show that the layered, needle-like, and network-like interfacial layers are observed in Al2O3, SiO2 and MWCNT nanocomposites, respectively. The present findings are helpful to understand the mechanisms governing thermal energy storage, and provide guidelines for the performance optimization of molten salt based nanocomposites.

Thermally conductive process and mechanism of TATB‐based polymer‐bonded explosives filled with graphene: Effects of interfacial thermal resistance and morphology/content of graphene

AbstractThe thermal conductivity of energy‐containing materials has a significant impact on their environmental suitability during manufacturing, transportation, and storage. In order to effectively regulate the thermal conductivity of polymer‐bonded explosives (PBXs), this study investigates the effects of different aspect ratios of graphene binder and interfacial thermal resistance on the thermal conductivity of TATB‐based PBXs using the finite element method. A model was constructed using Abaqus software to establish the constitutive relationship between graphene with varying aspect ratios and the thermal conductivity of PBXs. The results indicate that the effect of different graphene aspect ratios on the overall thermal conductivity of PBXs is small when the graphene content is lower than 3%. However, the thermal conductivity of PBXs increases nonlinearly with the increase in graphene aspect ratio when the graphene content is higher than 8%. Furthermore, the interfacial thermal resistance reduces the thermal conductivity of the PBX system by approximately 0.16 W/(m K), and its effect on the thermal conductivity of the system is relatively stable and does not change significantly with increasing graphene content and aspect ratio.Highlights Thermally conductive behavior of graphene‐filled PBX is revealed by simulation. The effects of content and aspect ratio of graphene are systematically investigated. The effect of interface thermal resistance is considered in the simulation.

Freezing Characteristics of a Water Droplet on a Multiscale Superhydrophobic Surface.

Superhydrophobic surfaces have the potential to retard ice formation owing to their super water-repellant nature arising from high static contact angle and low contact angle hysteresis. Most of the previous studies have focused on patterned surfaces with mono-scaled prismatic structures. In contrast, the freezing behavior on multiscaled rough superhydrophobic surfaces that are of practical significance is relatively little studied. This article presents, for the first time, the freezing dynamics of a water droplet interacting with multiscale fractal superhydrophobic surfaces which validates well with experimental measurements. It is shown that the dual effects of increased contact angle and poor interfacial conduction due to trapped air cavities within the roughness features of the superhydrophobic surface lead to increasing freezing time with increasing surface hydrophobicity, determined as a function of the fractal surface parameters. A comparison of the freezing dynamics of sessile droplets of identical contact angle on a smooth versus a rough superhydrophobic surface shows that interfacial asperity thermal resistance contributes to over 14% increase in the freeze time. It is further shown that by tailoring the multiscale characteristics, the freeze time may be increased by up to 7-fold compared to freezing on a smooth surface. The application of the numerical model to studying ice formation on several practical superhydrophobic surfaces of a range of metallic materials and fabrication methods is also discussed, which offers guidelines for the design of anti-icing surfaces in practice.

Preparation of diamond/SiC composites by the liquid silicon infiltration method and their microstructure and properties

Diamond/SiC composites have long been recognized as advanced materials for thermal management as they exhibit excellent thermal and mechanical properties. The objective was to investigate and understand the phase composition, diamond graphitization behavior, microstructure, and properties of diamond/SiC composites developed following the liquid silicon infiltration process. The results revealed that the incorporation of α-SiC particles increased the degree of uniformity of the microstructure of the diamond/SiC composites. The acoustic mismatch model was used to analyze the samples before and after diamond graphitization to evaluate the interfacial thermal resistance of the composites. The results indicated that the interfacial thermal resistance of the graphitized composites was 11.9 times higher than the interfacial thermal resistance of the un-graphitized composites. Finally, the correlation between the diamond content of the composites and their thermal and mechanical properties was investigated.

Superior enhancement in thermal conductivity of epoxy/graphene nanocomposites through use of dimethylformamide (DMF) relative to acetone as solvent

This method article describes the fabrication of graphene-epoxy nanocomposites using two different solvents, dimethylformamide (DMF) and acetone, and validates the resulting thermal conductivity improvements. The study compared the two solvents at a filler composition of 7 wt% and found that DMF resulted in more uniform dispersion of graphene nanoparticles in the epoxy matrix, leading to a 44% improvement in thermal conductivity compared to acetone. Laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM) imaging showed that DMF-based composites had more evenly dispersed graphene nanoplatelets than acetone-based composites, which exhibited larger graphene agglomerations. Effective medium theory calculations showed that DMF led to almost 35% lower interface thermal resistance between graphene and epoxy compared to acetone. The validated fabrication method and findings provide new possibilities for developing high thermal conductivity graphene-epoxy nanocomposites for various thermal management applications.•This article describes methods for fabricating graphene-epoxy composites using acetone and DMF as solvents, and validates that DMF is better for achieving higher thermal conductivity in the composite.

An Investigation into the Roughness and Film Thickness Effects on the Interfacial Thermal Resistance

ABSTRACT The roughness and film thickness effects on the interfacial thermal resistance (ITR) are explored at two deliberately selected temperatures in use of Monte-Carlo simulation method. Particular methods are proposed to define properly the phonon emitting temperature based on the one-way deviational heat flux, and to define correctly the phonon equilibrium temperature by considering the different properties and residence times of incident, transmitted, and reflected phonons near an interface. A mixed mismatch model which allows polarization conversion is constructed and employed. The so-obtained traditional ITRs, defined based on the emitting temperature difference, and the revised ITRs, defined based on the equilibrium temperature difference, are compared with model predictions in the literature. Simulation results show that at high temperature the revised ITR decreases monotonically with increasing film thickness and at low temperature it possesses a local minimum against the interface roughness. The latter is explained by the monotonically increasing traditional ITR and monotonically decreasing ratio of the equilibrium temperature difference to emitting temperature difference with increasing roughness. Among all the studied models, only the newly proposed one can well predict the ITR for different interface roughness at low temperature. None of the models captures the monotonic decrease of ITR with film thickness at high temperature however.

Aligning graphene nanoplates coplanar in polyvinyl alcohol by using a rotating magnetic field to fabricate thermal interface materials with high through-plane thermal conductivity

With the continuous advancement of electronic devices, there is an urgent need for advanced thermal interface materials (TIMs) to prevent high-power density electronics from overheating. The orderly arrangement of thermally conductive fillers in TIMs plays a crucial role in enhancing thermal conduction along preferred directions. However, it is challenging to control the orientation of the fillers, especially for two-dimensional fillers. In this study, graphene nanoplates (GNPs) were co-planarly arranged in polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) using a rotating magnetic field, which significantly increased the thermal conductivity of the composites. The coplanar vertically aligned GNPs/PVA (CVGNPs/PVA) exhibited a through-plane thermal conductivity of 11.78 W m−1 K−1, which is about 10 times higher than that of the composites with disorderly distributed GNPs (1.14 W m−1 K−1). The rotating magnetic field facilitated the alignment of GNPs and increased face-to-face contact between adjacent GNPs, which significantly boosted the through-plane thermal conductivity of the composite. The compressive modulus of the CVGNPs/PVA composites was only 1.06 MPa, and it helped to reduce the thermal interface resistance to 49 mm2 K W−1. These results offer a novel approach for preparing excellent TIMs that could be used in various applications.

Thermal Boundary Resistance: A Review of Molecular Dynamics Simulations and Other Computational Methods

Continued miniaturization of microelectronics has led to increased energy and interface density within those electronics. With each new interface, a new thermal resistor is created, preventing heat from efficiently escaping the device. This is such a problem that Kapitza resistance or thermal boundary resistance is now the dominant cause of thermal resistance in most microelectronics. Thermal boundary resistance has been studied extensively. However, thermal boundary resistance remains poorly understood. In this review, the existing literature is critically looked at, focusing on molecular dynamic simulations of the Si/Ge interface, which has become the de facto standard against which most other methods and systems are compared. As such, the volume of literature available on this system is considerably larger than any other, and the depth of analysis that can be performed is far greater. A research strategy for the field is presented to maximize progress in controlling Kapitza resistance. It is proposed that benchmark systems need to be found so that calculations can be properly verified, and that the size effects on Kapitza resistance need to be fully characterized. Finally, strong evidence is presented that first‐principles calculations offer the best chances for meaningful future progress, preferably with anharmonic contributions intact.

Enhanced temperature-responsive functions of thermal metamaterials by interface engineering

A phase-change thermal metamaterial (PCTM) has attracted a lot of attention to implement responsive thermal functions that can be adaptable to ambient environments. Temperature responsive PCTMs consisting of aligned metal backbones and phase change materials (PCMs) are capable of transforming artificial heat paths enabled by rapidly transiting thermophysical characteristics at certain temperatures. However, fabricating the PCTMs essentially involves the interfacial boundaries of different materials such as metal and PCMs, thereby degrading thermal transport between them. Moreover, while the phase of the material is altered from solid to liquid or vice versa, the instability of the interfaces inevitably occurs. Herein, we report an interface engineering of PCTMs using layer-by-layer (LbL) coating layers and nanocomposite PCMs to improve the on/off switching transition of thermal functions manipulating the heat flux in response to a specific temperature. LbL-assembled ultra-thin interfaces (multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT)-polyethylenimine (PEI) layers and MWCNT-PEI-Silane layers) as interfacial thermal resistance compensators and PCM nanocomposites using graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) are incorporated into thermal shifters based on stainless steel backbones. The LbL interfaces reduce the physical voids and phonon scattering between PCMs and metal surfaces while the GNP fillers increase the thermal conductivity of the PCMs in solid phases. The engineered PCTMs highly amplify the on/off switching ratio of thermal shifter unit cells and enhance overall thermal functions of temperature responsive TM modules (shield, concentrator, diffuser, and inverter). This work can pave a way for feasible solutions of interfacial resistances and instability in TMs.

Annealing-induced one order of magnitude enhancement in heat dissipation at graphene/SiO2 interface

The potential applications of two-dimensional (2D) materials-based devices in various fields have garnered significant interest. However, the limited heat transfer efficiency across the interface between 2D materials and the substrate has impeded their widespread application. This study presents a novel approach to enhancing the interface thermal transport of a widely used graphene/substrate structure through repeated annealing. Using Raman thermometry, we measured the interface thermal resistance (R) at 9.51 × 10−5 m2 K/W, which was subsequently reduced by an order of magnitude to 5.00 × 10−6 m2 K/W after repeated annealing. Our experimental results, supported by atomic modeling, revealed the significant influence of wrinkles on the interface thermal transport. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) images vividly illustrate the modulation of the surface structure due to repeated annealing, with the initial loose structure becoming tighter and the wrinkle flattened. Further phonon transport analysis revealed a significantly reduced phonon coupling rate between graphene and SiO2 due to the presence of wrinkles in the graphene. Our findings highlight the feasibility of annealing as a means of manipulating interface thermal transport and provide insights into the underlying mechanism, which may inspire further studies on enhancing thermal interface properties.

Wood Lamella-Inspired Photothermal Stearic Acid-Eutectic Gallium-Indium-Based Phase Change Aerogel for Thermal Management and Infrared Stealth.

Eutectic Gallium-Indium (EGaIn) liquid metalis an emerging phase change metal material, but its low phase transition enthalpy and low light absorption limit its application in photothermal phase change energy storage materials (PCMs) field. Here, based on the dipole layer mechanism, stearic acid (STA)-EGaIn-based PCMs which exhibit extraordinary solar-thermal performance and phase change enthalpy are fabricated by ball milling method. The wood lamella-inspired cellulose-derived aerogel and molybdenum disulfide (MoS2 ) are used to support the PCMs by the capillary force and decrease the interfacial thermal resistance. The resulted PCMs achieved excellent photothermal conversion performance and leakage proof. They have excellentthermal conductivity of 0.31W m-1 K-1 (this is increased by 138% as compared with pure STA), and high phase change enthalpy of187.50 J g-1 , which is higher than the most of the reported PCMs. Additionally, the thermal management system and infrared stealth materials based on the PCMs are developed. This work provides a new way to fabricate smart EGaIn-based PCMs for energy storage device thermal management and infrared stealth.

Achieving superior thermal conductivity in polymer bonded explosives using a preconstructed 3D graphene framework

When subjected to complicated thermal alternation, the low thermal conductivity (k) of polymerbonded explosives (PBXs) will induce high thermal stress, which will undermine the safety and reliability of the explosives by causing cracks or damage. However, it has been proven to be a challenge to efficiently increase the k of PBXs due to the high interfacial thermal resistance (ITR) and intrinsic defects of their conductive nanofillers. By introducing AgNWs with a high aspect ratio into graphene, this study constructed a novel multi-dimensional high-k nanofiller composed of one-dimensional (1D) silver nanowires (AgNWs) and two-dimensional (2D) graphene, namely gra@AgNWs. The AgNWs decorated could remedy the intrinsic defects of graphene by passing through the interspaces within graphene nanosheets to form connections as bridges. Consequently, the k of energetic polymer composites increased significantly by 89% from 0.425 ​W ​m−1 ​K−1 to 0.805 ​W ​m−1 ​K−1 at ultralow filler loading of 0.5 ​wt%. Furthermore, the temperature gradients and thermal stress in the composite cylinder decreased significantly under complicated thermal changes owing to the enhanced k. As quantitatively demonstrated through the fitting of experimental data using a theoretical model, AgNWs significantly decreased the ITR, paving highways” for phonon transfer between adjacent graphene nanosheets. Hence an expected synergistic effect of heat transfer was produced in the composites. This study provides new insights into the design and preparation of highly thermally conductive composites.

Engineering Heat Transport Across Epitaxial Lattice-Mismatched van der Waals Heterointerfaces.

Artificially engineered 2D materials offer unique physical properties for thermal management, surpassing naturally occurring materials. Here, using van der Waals epitaxy, we demonstrate the ability to engineer extremely insulating thermal metamaterials based on atomically thin lattice-mismatched Bi2Se3/MoSe2 superlattices and graphene/PdSe2 heterostructures with exceptional thermal resistances (70-202 m2 K/GW) and ultralow cross-plane thermal conductivities (0.012-0.07 W/mK) at room temperature, comparable to those of amorphous materials. Experimental data obtained using frequency-domain thermoreflectance and low-frequency Raman spectroscopy, supported by tight-binding phonon calculations, reveal the impact of lattice mismatch, phonon-interface scattering, size effects, temperature, and interface thermal resistance on cross-plane heat dissipation, uncovering different thermal transport regimes and the dominant role of long-wavelength phonons. Our findings provide essential insights into emerging synthesis and thermal characterization methods and valuable guidance for the development of large-area heteroepitaxial van der Waals films of dissimilar materials with tailored thermal transport characteristics.

Morphological engineering of SiO2 interlayer towards meliorative dielectric and thermal properties in β‐SiCw@SiO2/PVDF composites

AbstractPolymers with high thermal conductivity (TC) and dielectric constant (ε) but low dielectric loss show enormously potential applications in electrical power systems. To enhance the ε and TC while significantly suppressing the loss of β‐silicon carbide whisker (β‐SiCw)/polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), in this study, SiO2 shells with different morphologies were constructed on the superficies of β‐SiCw via a facile oxidation method in air atmosphere. The SiO2 shell’ morphology on the TC and dielectric performances of the β‐SiCw@SiO2/PVDF are systematically explored as a function of the frequency and filler loading. The β‐SiCw@SiO2/PVDF demonstrate astonishingly restricted loss and meliorative TC when compared to the β‐SiCw/PVDF because the SiO2 shell not only suppresses the β‐SiCw from direct contact with one another and impedes the long‐distance charges migration thereby resulting in rather low loss and leakage conductivity, but also restrains the thermal interfacial resistance via increased interfacial compatibility and interactions. The concurrent enhancement effect in the ε and TC but low loss of the composites is more evident in the crystalline SiO2 interlayer with a high TC compared with amorphous one. These results provide insight into the exploration of composite nanodielectrics with large TC and ε but low loss for applications in electrical power systems.Highlights Core@shell structured β‐SiCw@SiO2/PVDF were obtained by a facile oxidation. The great reduction in both loss and conductivity is attributed to the SiO2 shell. Crystalline SiO2 shell can improve the composites' thermal conductivity. The SiO2 shell prevents long‐range carrier migration.

Can Adhesion Energy Optimize Interface Thermal Resistance at a Soft/Hard Material Interface?

Thermal resistance at a soft/hard material interface plays an undisputed role in the development of electronic packaging, sensors, and medicine. Adhesion energy and phonon spectra match are two crucial parameters in determining the interfacial thermal resistance (ITR), but it is difficult to simultaneously achieve these two parameters in one system to reduce the ITR at the soft/hard material interface. Here, we report a design of an elastomer composite consisting of a polyurethane-thioctic acid copolymer and microscale spherical aluminum, which exhibits both high phonon spectra match and high adhesion energy (>1000 J/m2) with hard materials, thus leading to a low ITR of 0.03 mm2·K/W. We further develop a quantitative physically based model connecting the adhesion energy and ITR, revealing the key role the adhesion energy plays. This work serves to engineer the ITR at the soft/hard material interface from the aspect of adhesion energy, which will prompt a paradigm shift in the development of interface science.