A Thermal Management Strategy for Electronic Devices Based on Moisture Sorption-Desorption Processes

• Published in: Joule Vol. 4; no. 2; pp. 435 - 447
• Main Authors: Wang, Chenxi, Hua, Lingji, Yan, Hongzhi, Li, Bangjun, Tu, Yaodong, Wang, Ruzhu
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Inc 19.02.2020
• Subjects: desorption heat; electronic devices; sorbents; spontaneous adsorption; thermal management; desorption heat; sorbents; thermal management; spontaneous adsorption; electronic devices
• ISSN: 2542-4351; 2542-4351
• DOI: 10.1016/j.joule.2019.12.005

Currently, the thermal management of electronics has been drawing growing attention. The use of latent heat emerges as an attractive means for intermittent heat dissipation. However, traditional phase change materials (PCMs) are limited by their relatively low enthalpies. In this paper, we demonstrate a passive thermal management strategy through the desorption process of water inside sorbents. The spontaneous adsorption enables self-recovery of working capacity at rest mode. The basic guideline for selecting proper sorbents is outlined. In the proof-of-concept test, we coated MIL-101(Cr) powders onto metallic substrates. The coating of 0.288 g achieved a temperature drop (maximum 8.6°C) for 25 min at a heating power of 1.5 W. The equivalent enthalpy of the coating can be up to 1,950 J/gcoating, indicating a significant improvement compared to that of traditional PCMs. Our results suggest that this strategy could find promising applications in a variety of practical scenes. [Display omitted] •A strategy of passive thermal management based on moisture sorption-desorption•Proof-of-concept demonstration of this strategy using MIL-101(Cr) coating•Higher equivalent enthalpy when compared with traditional PCMs•A simplified model to guide the material selection and system design The efficient thermal management of electronic devices is essential, considering overheating is harmful to the efficiency and reliability of electronic components. In this work, we introduce a new strategy of transient thermal management, using solid sorbents, which can absorb moisture from the atmosphere and subsequently release moisture at a higher temperature. During the releasing process, a huge amount of heat is extracted to prevent the device from overheating. The cyclic water loading is the key criterion in screening candidate materials. Experimentally we demonstrate the outstanding performance of this strategy. The MIL-101(Cr) coating significantly outperforms traditional phase change materials. The sorbent coating can also be readily integrated with existing heat dissipation structures. This work paves a new pathway for transient thermal regulation. The challenge to large-scale deployment is to find cost-effective sorbents with outstanding sorption and thermophysical properties. The application of traditional phase change materials (PCMs) in electronic thermal management is limited by their enthalpies. In this work, we adopt sorbents and their desorption processes to achieve efficient thermal management. The sorbents with high cyclic water loadings, such as MIL-101(Cr), significantly outperforms the traditional PCMs, by virtue of their high desorption heat during the temperature-induced desorption process.