Graphene-coated Aluminum for Lightweight Heat Exchangers in Electronics

Important results from the project

The project have developed resource and energy-efficient dip coating process to fabricate thick graphene coating on 3D aluminum heat sinks for electronic cooling to realize 20% weight reduction and comparable thermal performance to the pure aluminum devices and demonstrate their thermal performance in relevant environment to reach TRL 5. During the project period, we have validated the coating process is also promising for other applications such as energy storage and infection prevention.

Expected long term effects

The fast development of electronics and communication technologies demand for effective electronic cooling systems which integrate advanced materials and 3D-structured components. Our 3D graphene coating has great potential to improve thermal performance and add more functionality of the components without changing their existing structure. This merit will offer great opportunities to advance the electronic cooling systems and develop a new market of the coating process.

Approach and implementation

Aninkco scaled up the graphene ink formulation. KTH used the graphene inks to fabricate conformal thick graphene coatings on various 3D aluminum substrates. Huawei designed and fabricated 3D-structured aluminum heat sinks. After KTH fabricated graphene coatings on the heat sinks, Huawei conducted thermal tests to demonstrate TRL 5. The active collaboration between the three partners enabled the project to finish on time with only a little delay.