Liquid-impregnated micron or nanostructured metal composites

Abstract

A liquid impregnated composite comprising a thermally conductive micro-or nano-structured scaffold impregnated with an effective amount of a thermal bridge liquid wherein the scaffold mainly comprises a first metal, has a micro-or nano-structure, is capable of holding the thermal bridge liquid internally, and has a self-supporting interconnected network structure. The composite material allows for easy pre-encapsulation, provides high thermal performance, reprocessability, and reliability, and can be used for thermal interface cooling in data centers, GPU / CPU systems, solid state lasers, thermoelectric modules, LEDs, and the like.

Description

[0001] Related applications

[0002] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 545,849, filed October 26, 2023, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 625,031, filed January 25, 2024, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0003] Government rights

[0004] This invention is supported by the U.S. government under National Science Foundation (NSF) grant 1916110 and Department of Energy (DOE) grant DE-AR0001761. The U.S. government holds certain rights to this invention. Background Technology

[0005] This application relates to thermal management products, particularly thermal interface products for electronic devices, such as computer chips.

[0006] Effective heat dissipation is essential for energy conservation and failure prevention in a variety of energy-intensive devices and systems. Globally, data centers consumed approximately 240-340 megawatt-hours of electricity annually in 2022 (1-1.3% of the total electricity used on Earth each year), and this will continue to grow with the development of cloud computing and artificial intelligence. Cooling demands account for 33-40% of data center energy use and consume billions of tons of water annually. Meanwhile, the heat flux of high-power electronic devices, such as solid-state lasers, wide-bandgap transistors, and phased-array radars, has reached unprecedented levels of approximately 1 kW / cm², which will lead to rapid degradation of device performance and lifespan without effective thermal solutions. As heterogeneous integration becomes increasingly unavoidable in future electronic devices and systems, thermal resistance at interfaces has become a critical bottleneck for effective thermal management. While thermal interface materials (TIMs), such as solders, greases, compounds, and pads, have been widely used to reduce thermal interface resistance, they must exhibit both low bulk thermal resistance and low contact thermal resistance to ensure optimal thermal performance. In addition, TIMs should possess mechanical flexibility to effectively absorb thermal stresses arising from mismatches in coefficients of thermal expansion (CTE) at the interface. Meeting these stringent requirements presents a significant challenge in the development of high-performance, multifunctional TIMs.

[0007] Traditional solder and weldable nanostructured TIMs possess high thermal conductivity and low contact thermal resistance, but their reliance on high-temperature welding processes limited to specific material surfaces significantly hinders their application as universal joints. While polymer composite TIMs such as thermal greases and compounds exhibit high compliance, they struggle with the "pumping out" problem, resulting in poor reliability and low thermal performance due to thermal conduction spread between dispersed conductive fillers. Solid thermal pads offer greater programmability in material alignment compared to liquid forms of thermal greases / compounds, potentially enabling even higher thermal conductivity. However, the substantial thickness (typically several hundred μm) caused by manufacturing limitations and direct ("dry") thermal contact with the substrate leads to high bulk and contact thermal resistance, thus compromising their overall thermal performance. To date, a general-purpose, high-performance TIM that meets the critical requirements of thermal management remains lacking. Summary of the Invention

[0008] One aspect of this application is a liquid-infused composite material comprising a thermally conductive support impregnated with an effective amount of thermal bridge fluid. The thermal bridge fluid may include any liquid hydrophilic to the support, including but not limited to non-viscous liquids and / or adhesives and / or liquid metals. The support primarily comprises a first metal having a self-supporting micron or nanostructure and is capable of retaining the thermal bridge fluid internally.

[0009] Based on the total weight (w / w) of the stent, the stent may contain 50%, preferably 70%, more preferably 80%, and especially 90% of the first metal.

[0010] The composite material of this application can be prepared by a method including the following steps:

[0011] Fabrication of scaffolds; and

[0012] An effective amount of the thermal bridge fluid is impregnated into the support.

[0013] The scaffold can be fabricated using a process selected from 3D printing, template making, photolithography, self-assembly, chemical vapor deposition, physical vapor deposition, etching methods, electrodeposition, colloidal assembly, braiding and knitting, sol-gel processes, and combinations thereof.

[0014] Composite materials may be pre-packaged with at least one polymer layer, metal layer, cellulose layer and / or composite material layer to protect the composite material from damage and contamination.

[0015] The effective amount of thermal bridging fluid can account for up to 95% (v / v) of the total volume of the LIMC, preferably up to 90%, and more preferably up to 80%. In some embodiments, a very small amount of thermal bridging fluid, less than 20% (v / v) of the total volume of the LIMC, can still provide a good thermal bridging effect, provided that the fluid accumulates near the top surface of the LIMC.

[0016] The scaffold can also be manufactured using additive manufacturing or 3D printing. Furthermore, composite materials can be formed by impregnating a thermal bridge liquid into a 3D-printed scaffold.

[0017] The composite material of this application can be used in heat dissipation components. For example, the composite material can be used as a general thermal interface solution for cooling applications in data centers, GPU / CPU systems, solid-state lasers, thermoelectric modules, and LEDs.

[0018] Another aspect of this application is a thermal component, comprising:

[0019] Low-temperature objects;

[0020] Objects with higher temperatures; and

[0021] The composite material of this application is used as a thermal interface material and is located between a lower-temperature object and a higher-temperature object.

[0022] As examples, higher-temperature objects can be electronic chips, batteries, or laser modules. Lower-temperature objects can be heat sinks, such as Al or Cu heat sinks or heat diffusers. Attached Figure Description

[0023] Figure 1 This paper describes a liquid-impregnated nanostructured composite material based on an embodiment of this application.

[0024] Figure 2 A liquid-impregnated double-sided nanostructured composite material based on another embodiment of this application is shown.

[0025] Figure 3 A pre-packaged LIMC based on one embodiment of this application is shown.

[0026] Figure 4 A LIMC impregnated with a viscous liquid, based on another embodiment of this application, is shown, which mechanically joins two objects.

[0027] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of a pure dry contact and liquid bridge interface based on an embodiment of this application is shown.

[0028] Figure 6The data shows the temperature of a 65W CPU tested under full load, with and without the same nanostructured membrane, but with different liquid bridges.

[0029] Figure 7 The pressure-dependent thermal resistance of LIMCs tested under ASTM D5470 standard is shown, with and without glycerol and liquid metal impregnation liquids.

[0030] Figure 8 Images show bare metal nanostructures (left), glycerol-based LIMCs (middle), and liquid metal-based LIMCs (right).

[0031] Figure 9 An example of glycerol-based LIMC pre-packaged in a polyimide-coated film is shown.

[0032] Figure 10 The data shows the temperature of a 65W CPU tested under full load before and after 20 assembly and disassembly cycles of the chip and cooler setup, using the same nanostructured membrane with glycerol as a liquid bridge.

[0033] Figure 11 illustrates the thermal reliability of the LIMC based on the embodiment of this application via in-situ power cycling testing.

[0034] Figure 12 The hydrophilicity and tribological properties of micron or nanostructures that prevent liquid from being pumped out are demonstrated. Detailed Implementation

[0035] As used herein, the term "about" when immediately preceding a numerical value refers to a range of plus or minus 10% of that value, for example, "about 50" means 45 to 55, "about 25,000" means 22,500 to 27,500, etc., unless the context of this disclosure otherwise indicates or is inconsistent with such interpretation.

[0036] As used herein, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" (note: often not translated here) include plural referents unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. Nothing in this disclosure should be construed as an admission that the embodiments described herein are not entitled to any prior art by virtue of this invention. As used herein, the term "comprising" means "including but not limited to."

[0037] Although various compositions, methods, and apparatuses are described in a manner that "comprising" various components or steps (to be interpreted as meaning "including but not limited to"), compositions, methods, and apparatuses may also be "consistent with various components and steps" or "composed of various components and steps," and such terms should be interpreted as defining a substantially closed group of members.

[0038] Regarding the use of any plural and / or singular terms in this document, those skilled in the art may convert plural to singular and / or singular to plural as needed by the context and / or application. For clarity, various singular / plural substitutions may be explicitly described herein.

[0039] Those skilled in the art will understand that, generally, the terms used herein, and especially those used in the appended claims (e.g., the body of the appended claims), are intended to be "open" terms (e.g., the term "comprising" should be interpreted as "including but not limited to," the term "having" should be interpreted as "having at least," the term "comprising" should be interpreted as "including but not limited to," etc.). Those skilled in the art will also understand that if the intent is a specific number referred to in the introduced claim, such intent will be explicitly stated in the claim, and without such a statement, such intent does not exist. For example, to aid understanding, the appended claims may contain the use of the introductory phrases "at least one" and "one or more" to introduce the claims. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed as implying that a claim reference introduced by the indefinite article "a" or "an" (note: this is often not translated in this text) will limit any particular claim containing such a reference to embodiments containing only one such reference, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrase "one or more" or "at least one" and an indefinite article such as "a or an" (e.g., "a or an" should be interpreted as meaning "at least one" or "one or more"); the same applies to claims references introduced by definite articles. Furthermore, even when a specific number of the referred claims is explicitly mentioned, those skilled in the art will recognize that such mention should be interpreted as meaning at least the number mentioned (e.g., an unmodified mention of "two references" without other modifiers means at least two references, or two or more references). Furthermore, in those cases, when using conventional phrases such as "at least one of A, B, and C, etc.", this linguistic structure is generally used in the sense that a person skilled in the art understands the convention (e.g., "a system having at least one of A, B, and C" will include, but is not limited to, systems having only A, only B, only C, having A and B, having A and C, having B and C, and / or having A, B, and C, etc.). In cases where the conventional phrase "at least one of A, B, or C" is used, this linguistic structure is typically used in the sense understood by those skilled in the art (e.g., "a system having at least one of A, B, or C" includes, but is not limited to, systems having only A, only B, only C, A and B, A and C, B and C, and / or systems having A, B, and C, etc.). Those skilled in the art will also understand that any transitional conjunctions and / or phrases that actually present two or more alternative terms, whether in the specification, claims, or drawings, should be understood to imply the possibility of including one, any one, or both of these terms. For example, the phrase "A or B" would be understood to include the possibility of including "A" or "B" or "A and B".

[0040] Furthermore, where features or aspects of this disclosure are described in accordance with the Markush Group, those skilled in the art will recognize that this disclosure is also described in accordance with any individual member or subgroup of the Markush Group.

[0041] As those skilled in the art will understand, for any and all purposes, such as providing a written description, all scopes disclosed herein also cover any and all possible subscopes and combinations thereof. Any listed scope can be readily considered sufficiently descriptive and such that the same scope can be decomposed into at least equal halves, thirds, quarters, fifths, tenths, etc. As a non-limiting example, each scope discussed herein can be readily decomposed into a lower third, a middle third, and an upper third, etc. Those skilled in the art will also understand that all language such as "at most," "at least," etc., includes the listed numbers and refers to a scope that can subsequently be decomposed into subscopes as described above. Finally, as those skilled in the art will understand, a scope includes each individual member. Thus, for example, a group having 1-3 units means a group having 1, 2, or 3 units. Similarly, a group having 1-5 units means a group having 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 units, and so on.

[0042] As used herein, micron or nanostructured composite materials refer to micron or nanoscale metal support structures impregnated with thermal bridging liquids. Micron or nanostructures refer to the construction or arrangement of material components at the micron or nanoscale, characterized in the range of 1 nanometer to 1000 micrometers, preferably 10 nanometers to 100 micrometers, and more preferably 100 nanometers to 10 micrometers.

[0043] The thermal bridging fluid used in this paper refers to a liquid impregnated in a scaffold that thermally bridges the scaffold to the surface of an object. When applied directly to the interface, the mechanically flexible micron or nanostructure conforms to the object surface and generates thermal contact. However, air gaps may exist between the scaffold and the object surface, resulting in large contact thermal resistance. By impregnating the scaffold with a thermal bridging fluid and filling the air gaps, the overall thermal resistance can be significantly suppressed.

[0044] The liquid metal used here refers to metallic substances that are liquid at temperatures between 19 and 31°C.

[0045] This disclosure is not limited to the specific systems, devices, and methods described, as these can vary. The terminology used in the description is for the purpose of describing a particular version or implementation only and is not intended to limit the scope.

[0046] The support structure can be made of metals or metal alloys that exist in solid form in the relevant working environment where composite materials are used, for example, at temperatures ranging from -55 to 80°C. The support material can be copper, silver, aluminum, tungsten, zinc, nickel, tin, or a combination thereof.

[0047] The structure of the metal support exists in the form of particles, crystals, wires, networks, tubes, rods, fibers, columns, sheets, membranes, plates, islands, meshes, foams, pores, cages, complexes, core-shell structures, heterostructures and combinations thereof, preferably wires, tubes, meshes and foams.

[0048] In some implementations, the content described herein includes liquid-impregnated nanostructured Cu (LINC) as a general-purpose high-performance TIM. For example... Figure 1 As shown, LINC comprises a unique mechanically compliant and thermally conductive double-sided Cu nanowire (CuNW) array scaffold impregnated with a custom thermal bridging liquid. Vertically aligned CuNWs with typical diameters of 200 nm and heights of ~25 μm are grown on both sides of a thin Cu foil (~10 μm thick) via scalable templated electrochemical deposition.

[0049] In some embodiments, the contents described herein include liquid thermal bridging technology, wherein solvents and / or adhesives and / or liquid metals can be integrated with nanostructured thermal interface materials to transform point-to-point dry thermal contacts into surface-to-surface composite contacts. In some embodiments, the solvent may be non-volatile. In some embodiments, the solvent may be volatile. In some embodiments, the solvent may include combinations of solvents.

[0050] Liquid thermal bridging technology solves the general challenge of dry thermal contact in all emerging nanostructured thermal interface materials. Poor dry contact thermal performance can be significantly improved by greatly reducing contact thermal resistance.

[0051] In some embodiments, the thermal bridge liquid may include any liquid that is hydrophilic to micron or nanostructures, including but not limited to non-viscous liquids (including but not limited to water, organic solvents, ionic liquids, silicones, greases, oils, particle-liquid and / or sheet-liquid mixtures), and / or adhesives (including but not limited to adhesives, resins and / or epoxy resins), and / or liquid metals (including but not limited to Hg, Cs, Ga, Rb and / or alloys based thereon, including but not limited to Ga-In, Ga-Sn, Ga-In-Sn, Ga-In-Sn-Zn). To promote hydrophilicity between the micron or nanostructure scaffold and the thermal bridge liquid, the scaffold surface may be treated to remove the oxide layer, coated with another layer, or left untreated to make it hydrophilic to the thermal bridge liquid.

[0052] In some embodiments, taking into account bulk thermal resistance and contact thermal resistance, the composite material of this application has an effective thermal resistance of less than 1 mm under the ASTM D5470 test standard. 2 ·K / W.

[0053] In this application, we developed liquid-impregnated metal micron or nanostructured composites (LIMCs) as a general-purpose, high-performance TIM. For example... Figure 1 As shown, the LIMC comprises a mechanically compliant and thermally conductive micron or nanostructured scaffold impregnated with a custom thermal bridging fluid. The high aspect ratio micron or nanostructures serve as conductive and compliant scaffolds, conforming to the surface morphology of the object and acting like "micron or nano springs," thus functioning as efficient heat flow channels across the interface when used as a TIM.

[0054] The scaffold possesses a self-supporting, integral, and reliable structure. The nanostructure or microstructure can have a high aspect ratio (e.g., greater than 5) between its length and diameter. This structure can be formed from wires, rods, or particles, through which mechanical and electrical properties can be transferred. Nano or micro wires, rods, or particles can be aligned or interconnected to form a reliable structure with integrity. For example, the scaffold may primarily comprise predominantly vertically aligned nanowires.

[0055] LIMC can be used in single-sided, double-sided or 3D composite structure form.

[0056] When used in a unilateral configuration, a micron or nanostructure is first formed on one side of the interface, and then a thermal bridge liquid is impregnated into the nanostructure to form a unilateral composite material, such as... Figure 1 As shown. Then, the opposite sides of the interface are pressed onto the top of the nanostructured composite layer to make contact.

[0057] When used in a double-sided configuration, nanostructures are first formed on both sides of the substrate, and then a thermal bridge liquid is impregnated into the nanostructures to form a double-sided composite material, such as... Figure 2 As shown. The composite material can then be applied to the interface, with the nanostructured composite layer contacting both sides of the interface. In some embodiments, due to the high thermal conductivity of Cu and the high aspect ratio (>100) of CuNW, the double-sided copper nanowire (CuNW) array along the central Cu foil can be used as a conductive and compliant scaffold. Based on low-cost roll-to-roll solution processing, the CuNW scaffold can be mass-produced (e.g., ~2 m in length).

[0058] In 3D composite structures, a self-supporting 3D metal scaffold, such as in the form of a mesh or foam, is impregnated with a thermal bridge fluid to form a liquid-integrated composite (LIMC). This 3D self-supporting metal scaffold can serve as a conductive and compliant scaffold to retain the thermal bridge fluid.

[0059] In some embodiments, the metal micro / nanostructure consists of arranged and / or distributed particles, crystals, wires, networks, tubes, rods, fibers, pillars, sheets, films, plates, islands, meshes, foams, pores, cages, composites, core-shell structures, heterostructures, and combinations thereof, preferably wires, tubes, meshes, and foams.

[0060] The impregnating liquid is versatile and highly customizable for a wide range of applications, and is categorized into non-viscous liquids and viscous liquids, depending on whether it has a viscous function or not.

[0061] When using non-viscous liquids, LIMC allows for pre-packaging and provides high reprocessability, facilitating convenience and reusability, such as... Figure 3 As shown. The impregnating non-viscous liquid can include, but is not limited to, solvents such as organic solvents (e.g., alcohols, ketones, esters), water, ionic liquids, and mixtures thereof. This category can also include organic and aqueous solutions, suspensions, or dispersions containing particles, sheets, or nanomaterials, emulsions, and liquid metals (e.g., gallium-based alloys with melting points below 31 degrees Celsius). Additionally, non-viscous liquids can include supercritical fluids, silicone oils, and low-viscosity polymers. When used as an interface material, the hydrophilicity and friction with the metal nanostructures can effectively trap the impregnating liquid, preventing it from being pumped out.

[0062] like Figure 4 As shown, when using viscous liquids, LIMC enables the mechanical bonding of interfaces with excellent heat transfer at room temperature. Unlike high-temperature welding processes with limited material compatibility, viscous liquid-based LIMC not only maintains excellent structural integrity at the interface similar to welding, but also extends its applicability to non-weldable materials such as polymers and ceramics.

[0063] By transforming the nanowire-surface point-to-point "dry" contact into a nanowire / liquid surface composite contact, and considering that the thermal conductivity of liquids is typically an order of magnitude greater than that of air, the liquid impregnation method proposed in this application can effectively thermally bridge the tips of micron or nanostructures to the target surface, thus significantly suppressing the contact thermal resistance of LIMCs. This mechanism is based on... Figure 5 The diagram illustrates this schematically. Using an impregnating liquid with high thermal conductivity, such as a liquid metal, also contributes to a significant reduction in the bulk thermal resistance of LIMC. Therefore, compared to existing TIM studies that primarily focus on reducing bulk thermal resistance, LIMC achieves both low bulk thermal resistance and low contact thermal resistance, both equally important aspects in practical applications.

[0064] Example 1 – Liquid thermal bridge effect of impregnated liquid on CPU cooling. Figure 6 Temperature data for a 65W CPU tested under full load are shown when using the same nanostructured film (without and with different liquid bridges). The thermal conductivity (k) of air, IPA, glycerol, water, and GaInSn liquid metal are approximately 0.024, 0.140, 0.287, 0.600, and >30 W / m·K, respectively. The improved heat dissipation and the observed two-stage temperature behavior of the IPA bridging interface with increasing k validate the heat transfer mechanism of the liquid bridge.

[0065] Example 2 – Liquid thermal bridge effect of impregnated liquid on ASTM D5470 thermal measurement. Figure 7 The pressure-dependent thermal resistance of LIMCs with and without glycerol and liquid metal impregnation liquids is shown under ASTM D5470. From dry-heat contact to glycerol-LIMC, the total thermal resistance is greatly suppressed, with the overall thermal resistance remaining almost unchanged, indicating that the liquid thermal bridging effect significantly reduces contact thermal resistance. Further improvements from glycerol-LIMC to liquid-metal-LIMC reveal the benefits of using thermal bridging liquids with higher thermal conductivity, where both volumetric and contact thermal resistance are suppressed simultaneously.

[0066] Example 3 – LIMC impregnated with different liquids. Figure 8 Actual photographs of bare metal nanostructures (left), glycerol-based LIMCs (middle), and liquid metal-based LIMCs (right) are shown.

[0067] Example 4 – Pre-packaged LIMC. Figure 9 An example of glycerol-based LIMC pre-packaged in a polyimide-coated film is shown.

[0068] Example 5 – Highly reprocessable LIMC when impregnated with a non-viscous liquid. Figure 10 The data shows the temperature of a 65W CPU tested under full load before and after 20 assembly and disassembly cycles of the chip and cooler setup, using the same nanostructured membrane with glycerol as a liquid bridge. Thermal performance showed no degradation, demonstrating excellent reprocessability when using the liquid bridge.

[0069] Example 6 – Thermal Reliability of LIMC via In-Situ Power Cycling Test. An in-situ power cycling setup equipped with a ceramic heater and an active air cooler was established (Figures 11a, b) for reliability testing of the LIMC. In this test, the thermal expansion coefficient mismatch between the metal radiator and the ceramic heater was ~4 times. Under constant cooling power, the heater was periodically turned on and off to cycle the TIM from room temperature to an equilibrium temperature >100°C (Figure 11c). ~46 W / cm² was applied. 2 The high heating power density amplifies the temperature difference between the ambient and equilibrium (maximum) heater temperatures, ΔT=T 加热器 -T 环境 This directly indicates the thermal performance of the TIM. The degradation of TIM performance can be observed in real time by monitoring ΔT. As shown in Figure 11d, for >2600 cycles, our liquid-metal-LIMC showed no observable degradation throughout the testing period.

[0070] Example 7 - Hydrophilicity and friction of micron or nanostructures that prevent liquid from being pumped out. For micron or nanostructures, hydrophilicity and friction can effectively trap the impregnated liquid, preventing it from being pumped out. For example... Figure 12 As shown, pure liquid metal is prone to forming droplets and leaking from the interface, while our liquid metal-LIMC retains a small amount of squeezed liquid metal and reduces its movement, thus significantly improving the reliability of LIMC in practical applications.

Claims

1. A liquid-impregnated composite material comprising: a thermally conductive support impregnated with an effective amount of thermal bridge liquid, wherein the support primarily comprises a first metal having a self-supporting micron or nanostructure and capable of retaining the thermal bridge liquid internally.

2. The composite material of claim 1, wherein the first metal is a metal or metal alloy that exists in solid form in the relevant working environment in which the composite material is to be used, preferably copper, silver, aluminum, tungsten, zinc, nickel, tin or a combination thereof.

3. The composite material of claim 1, wherein the composite material is compliant, such that it has a shape adjustable to a specified form.

4. The composite material of claim 1, wherein the micron or nanostructure exists in the form of particles, crystals, wires, networks, tubes, rods, fibers, pillars, sheets, films, plates, islands, meshes, foams, pores, cages, composites, core-shell structures, heterostructures, and combinations thereof arranged and / or distributed, preferably forming self-supporting and reliable scaffolds such as wires, tubes, meshes, and foams.

5. The composite material of claim 1, wherein the micron or nanostructure has such hydrophilicity and frictional properties that it keeps the thermal bridge fluid inside from being pumped out and thus prevents leakage of the thermal bridge fluid.

6. The composite material of claim 1, wherein the micron or nanostructure is treated to remove the oxide layer, or coated with another layer, or left untreated, thereby being hydrophilic to the thermal bridge liquid.

7. The composite material of claim 1, wherein the thermal bridge liquid is a non-viscous liquid selected from water, organic solvents, ionic liquids, organosilicones, greases, oils, particle-liquid and / or sheet-liquid mixtures, and combinations thereof.

8. The composite material of claim 1, wherein the thermal bridge liquid is a viscous liquid selected from adhesives, resins, epoxy resins, liquid metals, and combinations thereof.

9. The composite material of claim 1, wherein the thermal bridge liquid is a liquid metal selected from Ga, In, tin, Hg, Cs, Rb, Zn, alloys thereof, and combinations thereof.

10. The composite material of claim 7, wherein the alloy is selected from Ga-In, Ga-Sn, Ga-In-Sn, Ga-In-Sn-Zn and combinations thereof.

11. The composite material of claim 1, wherein the support is self-supporting or disposed or formed on a substrate or thermal interface.

12. The composite material of claim 10, wherein the support is disposed or formed on two opposite sides of the substrate or thermal interface.

13. The composite material of claim 10, wherein the support is a self-supporting metal mesh or foam.

14. The composite material of claim 1, wherein the composite material is pre-packaged with a covering layer before use.

15. The composite material of claim 1, wherein the scaffold is nanostructured and comprises nanowires.

16. The composite material of claim 1, having a particle size of <1 mm under ASTM D5470 testing standards. 2 The effective thermal resistance in K / W takes into account both volume thermal resistance and contact thermal resistance.

17. A method for preparing the composite material of claim 1, comprising: Form the heat-conducting support; as well as The thermal bridge fluid is impregnated into the stent.

18. Use of the composite material of claim 1 at a thermal interface for transferring heat from one side of the thermal interface to the other side of the thermal interface.

19. A thermal component, comprising: Objects at lower temperatures; Objects at higher temperatures; as well as The composite material of claim 1, which serves as a thermal interface material and is positioned between the lower-temperature object and the higher-temperature object.

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