Epoxy composite with metal-level thermal conductivity achieved by synergistic effect inspired by lamian noodles

To enhance thermal dissipation from packaged electronic components, a material with high thermal conductivity and low coefficient thermal expansion is required. In this work, a strategy inspired by the processing of lamian, a type of traditional Chinese noodle, is proposed. By combining two important methods, aligning filler and bridging effect, the method can construct composites with both high thermal conductivity and coefficient thermal expansion. The epoxy composite exhibits a high thermal conductivity of 110 W m−1 K−1 and a low coefficient of thermal expansion of 7.4 ppm K−1, both values which can be compared to those for metals. On the other hand, the material's density is comparable to that of polymers and is consequently much lower than that of typical metals. Considering these advantageous properties, it is anticipated that these composites can play a leading role in the development of new, low cost packaging materials.