Work

Enhanced microfluidic heat sinks with a bio-inspired metal skeleton toward thermal management of flexible electronics

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Flexible electronics require thermal-management materials that combine heat dissipation with mechanical compliance, yet flexible polymers are limited by low thermal conductivity. Here, we report a sponge-inspired composite of copper foam (CF), cubic boron nitride (c-BN), and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), in which the interconnected CF skeleton and dispersed c-BN fillers create continuous multiscale heat-conduction pathways. This architecture raises in-plane and through-plane thermal conductivities to 21.47 and 3.45 W·m −1 ·K −1 , 141- and 22-fold higher than pure PDMS, respectively. The composite remains flexible, shows a 2569.8% increase in elastic modulus, retains thermal conductivity after 10 6 bending cycles, and provides 25.25 dB EMI shielding and UL-94 V-0 flame retardancy. Integrated into flexible microfluidic heat sinks, it enables stable cooling from 0° to 120° bending, with temperature variations below 4.2% under static bending and 3% during dynamic bending. These results provide a multifunctional thermal-management platform for next-generation flexible electronics.

Source: Cell Reports Physical Science

DOI: 10.1016/j.xcrp.2026.103553