Thermal conductivity of 3D-printed block-copolymer-inspired structures

Omar Taleb, Matthew Jutkofsky, Ryan Measel, Michael Patrick Blatt, Nadim S. Hmeidat, Philip R. Barnett, Hilmar Koerner, Daniel Hallinan

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

This study primarily focuses on examining the impact that geometric structure has on thermal conductivity of multi-phase constructs in different 3D-printed poly(lactic acid), PLA, samples. The investigated structures are inspired by morphologies formed by diblock copolymers: lamellae, hexagonally packed cylinders, and gyroid. This research also investigates how volume percentage and material combination influence the thermal conductivity of these structures. The samples can be tailored to simulate various thermal management structures observed in practical applications, such as thermal interface materials in electronic devices. Thermal conductivity ratio is controlled using air, the least conductive material at 0.026 W/(m K), PLA at 0.136 W/(m K), and thermal paste at 5.11 W/(m K). Different models were tested against thermal conductivity measurements in order to capture the effect of material type (PLA-Air versus PLA-Thermal Paste), volume percentage, structure, and orientation. Simple, effective medium models were good predictions of thermal conductivity in lamellar structures, but it was necessary to develop models for conduction through cylindrical and gyroid structures. Finally, all results were normalized to find a universal model that is independent of structure and material. This approach provides a simple method to predict how to reduce or enhance transport properties and heat management capabilities of 3D printed objects.

Original languageEnglish
Article number126186
JournalInternational Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer
Volume235
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 15 2024

Funding

This work was supported by NSF CAREER award number 1751450 . NSH would like to acknowledge partial support by the US Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Advanced Manufacturing Office , under contract DE-AC05-00OR22725 with UT-Battelle, LLC. We thank Dr. Jonas Gustavsson for assistance with collecting sample photos.

Keywords

  • 3D Printing
  • Heat conduction
  • Morphology
  • Thermal conductivity ratio
  • Tortuosity

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Thermal conductivity of 3D-printed block-copolymer-inspired structures'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this