Abstract
3D printing technique offers lightweight, compact, and flexible thermal components that can be integrated into bendable and curved form factors. However, their low thermal conductivity of the polymer-based backbone structures degrades thermal performances, thereby demanding the rational solution to compensate heat transfer. Herein, a thermally functional coating of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) and polyethyleneimine (PEI) through a layer-by-layer (LbL) deposition process for a 3D-printed polymer heat sink (3DP-HS) is studied. The 3DP-HS is manufactured using the fused filament fabrication and can withstand bending and twisting while solution-processed LbL self-assembly deposits ultrathin MWCNT–PEI bilayers through stacking materials dissolved in positively and negatively charged solutions using electrostatic attraction. Compared with the flat polymer plate, the 3DP-HS validates the heat dissipation function, confirmed via the improved heat transfer coefficient. Furthermore, the LbL MWCNT–PEI bilayers highly increase the enhancement rate over 85% due to extended nanoporous areas and airflow mixing on the rough surface. Precise analyses of thermal performances for 10 and 30 MWCNT–PEI bilayers (≈120–180 nm in thickness) elucidate the proper LbL surfaces on HS, in accordance with heat generation levels. This work leads to developing a facile yet effective functional coating process for various 3D-printed thermal management components.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 2300669 |
Journal | Advanced Engineering Materials |
Volume | 25 |
Issue number | 20 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2023 Oct |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 2023 Wiley-VCH GmbH.
Keywords
- 3D printing
- carbon nanotube
- cooling performance
- layer-by-layer deposition
- porous coating
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Materials Science
- Condensed Matter Physics