Russia's Moscow State University of Science and Technology (NUST MISIS) and LG Electronics (LG Electronics) have joined forces to develop new alloy materials. The use of this material to make radiators and cooling systems in electric vehicles and consumer electronic products can help reduce its weight by a third.
With the development of electronic technology, how to effectively dissipate heat has become more and more acute. As equipment productivity increases, so does the amount of heat generated. For household appliances, electric vehicles, and LED panels, cooling is of great significance and will directly affect the life cycle of the equipment.
Compared with other similar products, the new high thermal conductivity magnesium alloy developed this time has higher reliability, lower cost, and can significantly reduce the weight of the equipment. Vyacheslav Bazhenov, a researcher at the National University of Science and Technology, said: “In the past, aluminum and other materials were usually used to make radiators. For modern equipment, these materials are a bit too heavy. Reducing the weight of the equipment can greatly reduce the energy consumption during operation. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions during transportation. Now this is becoming more and more important."
Scientists pointed out that during operation, magnesium alloy may catch fire in the air. The researchers added calcium and yttrium to significantly increase the ignition point, so that the application of this material in equipment is not restricted. Bazhenov said: "What we want to make is a low-cost alloy, so almost no expensive elements commonly used in magnesium alloys, such as neodymium, lanthanum, thorium, etc., are used. As a result, we have obtained two-component alloys: one is a combination of magnesium Combined with silicon, zinc and calcium (Mg-Si-Zn-Ca), it has high thermal conductivity and medium strength, and low cost; the other is with zinc, yttrium and zirconium (Mg-Zn-Y-Zr) The more expensive alloy made by mixing has high strength and slightly lower thermal conductivity."
LG has registered a patent for a magnesium alloy (Mg-Si-Zn-Ca) and the radiator made from it, which is a relatively low-cost magnesium alloy. Currently, the research team is studying new magnesium-based alloy compositions that can provide high strength and corrosion resistance, while providing low cost and high thermal conductivity.