In an experimental lab test setup, the TIM was able to double the amount of heat that could be safely transferred away from every square centimeter of an electronic component, compared to a leading thermal paste – while also reducing the component's overall temperature.
The setup used a cooling pump, which is a common protection against overheating, and the TIM cut the energy use of the pump by 65 percent. This was only a small-scale example, but it shows the heat-transferring potential of the material.
"This breakthrough brings us closer to achieving the ideal performance predicted by theory, enabling more sustainable cooling solutions for high-power electronics," says Kai Wu, from Sichuan University.