Diamond as cooling system: more power for batteries and CPUs
Wherever electricity flows, there is resistor. Ultimately, this is friction, albeit at an atomic level. And so heat is generated just like anywhere else where friction takes place.
This heat development becomes critical where either a comparatively large amount of current is required in a very small space or where high currents are used. For example, in processors for smartphones and notebooks or powerful batteries for electric cars.
The problem here is not only that there is no space for complex cooling systems. Instead, an insulating layer must always be applied, as plastics and other non-conductive materials generally cool extremely poorly. Instead, they just insulate.
While the thermal conductivity value of popular metals for heat dissipation such as aluminum or copper is in the range of 300 watts per meter and Kelvin (silver even manages 400, but is then a bit too expensive), plastics achieve values below 1.
Diamonds are quite different: Their extremely strong, three-dimensional lattice of carbon atoms surpasses even silver many times over and can dissipate almost 2,300 watts per meter and Kelvin. And no electricity flows here, as the lattice resembles metals but lacks the electrons required for conductivity.
Unfortunately, the material is not necessarily cheap and it is not easy to process either. Or it hasn't been until now. At the Fraunhofer Research Center in Michigan, USA, tiny and wafer-thin plates of diamond have been grown.
The researchers use silicon wafers, which are known from chip production. A diamond membrane is grown on these. Only micrometers thick and a few inches in size, they can replace the insulating layer in chips, batteries and power electronics such as inverters.
This increases heat dissipation by a factor of 10,000 exactly where it is generated, which leads to remarkable results. Overall, the performance of the entire cooling system is increased tenfold. Charging a battery can also be done five times faster.
Furthermore, the rapid heat dissipation ensures lower temperatures in sensitive electronics. This has a positive effect on lifespan and energy efficiency, which decreases with higher temperatures.
Such a diamond plate is not cheap. However, only small quantities are required, which are applied directly to the critical areas in the right size. And the supply of carbon for the diamonds is virtually unlimited.
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