Work

An ultralight foam vapor chamber for mobile and aerial electronics cooling

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: This study premieres a vapor chamber that can achieve a remarkable ~ 80 % weight reduction over state-of-the art commercial vapor chambers (e.g., ~ 25 g, compared to ~ 120 g with similar dimensions) potentially for mobile and aerial applications while providing comparable thermal spreading and junction temperature. This achievement has been made possible by incorporating a high porosity copper foam that is blackened for superhydrophilicity and encapsulated by an ultrathin-walled (~ 50 µm) envelope via electro/electroless plating - that is, an ultralight foam vapor chamber (uFVC). This article details its thermal absorption and spreading characteristics subjected to natural convection as well as the fabrication process. The uFVC spreads heat via latent heat conversion of an encapsulated deionized water. Blackened foam ligaments enhanced capillary forces to transport the deionized water within the ultrathin-walled envelope that further facilitates heat rejection to the surroundings. The achieved effective density of the uFVC as a measure of lightweighting is ρeff ~ 1,000 kg/m3 in sharp contrast to ρeff ~ 9,000 kg/m3 for a pure copper plate, ρeff ~ 5,000 kg/m3 for a state-of-the art commercial vapor chamber, with being even lighter than the latest developmental graphene-enhanced vapor chamber, ρeff ~ 1,800 kg/m3.

Source: Applied Thermal Engineering

DOI: 10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2025.128639

Authors: Haodong Chen, Kiju Kang, Michael D. Atkins, Tongbeum Kim

Institutions: Chonnam National University, University of the Witwatersrand, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics

Language: English

Topic: Heat Transfer and Boiling Studies

Subfield: Mechanical Engineering

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,660

Funders: National Research Foundation of Korea, Ministry of Science and ICT, South Korea