Metal Matrix Composites for Thermal Management: A Review

Abstract

The most challenging objective in the electronic industries is to develop materials that demonstrate a tunable thermal property with today's microelectronic devices. The development of composite material with balanced thermal properties is highly appreciated and currently competing the traditional monolithic conductive material. However, the tailored thermal properties of the composite are significantly influenced by the composites constituents and their fabrication routes. This article presents a review of thermal properties of particulate as well as fiber-reinforced composite proportional to matrix microstructure, reinforcement architecture. The processing techniques used to fabricate composites have been addressed with an objective to achieve suitable thermal properties. The developments in the analytical and numerical simulation approach to predict the thermal conductivity and CTE of the developed composites have been critically reviewed. Lastly, future work needs attention is summarized.

Keywords:

• metal matrix composites
• thermal conductivity
• CTE
• modeling