Component Management

Ultra-thin graphite film can be used in 3D shapes

24th August 2015
Mick Elliott
0

Now available in Europe through TTI is the PGS graphite sheet from Panasonic. It is an ultra-light artificial graphite film produced from polymeric film using a heat de-composition process. It boasts excellent thermal conductivity of between 700 to 1950 W/(m·K) which is up to five times higher than copper and up to seven times better than aluminium.

 

It is ideal for providing thermal management/heat-sinking in limited spaces or to provide supplemental heat-sinking in addition to conventional means.

PGS is extremely thin – it is available in a range of thicknesses from 100µm down to 10µm. It is also very pliable and can be cut and folded into complex three-dimensional shapes to fit around and stick onto any heat source in electronic devices, diffusing the heat or acting as a path to conduct the heat to a cold wall.

Sheets of PGS can be bent through 180 degrees more than 3,000 times, and its thermal conductivity is unaffected if sharp folds are avoided. Lightweight, with a specific gravity of 0.85g/cm³ to 2.13 g/cm³, PGS can be cut or trimmed, so is easily worked.

Within any application, PGS can be used as a heat transfer material, a heat diffusion material or as a thermal interface over a hot spot.

In addition, PGS can provide some shielding to electromagnetic noise, usefully providing a simultaneous EMI and thermal solution. It has lower thermal resistance than silicon sheet material and graphite products from other manufacturers.

Silicon grease has lower thermal resistance than PGS, but has the disadvantage of drying up over time and therefore losing its effectiveness. Silicon grease is also not as easy to apply uniformly over an area, so results can be variable.

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