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

Abstract

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.