On May 19, Japan`s Toray Company announced on its official website that the company has successfully developed a high thermal conductivity technology based on carbon fiber composite materials, which can improve the heat dissipation performance of carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) to the level of metal heat dissipation. .
Applying this technology to CFRP can effectively dissipate heat through the thermal conduction path inside the material, which helps to suppress battery degradation in mobile applications and improve performance in electronic device applications.
CFRP structure using Toray's new thermal conductivity technology
Common applications for this lightweight, high-strength, and strong plastic are airplanes, automobiles, infrastructure components, sporting goods, and electronic equipment. As a structural material, CFRP is necessary to dissipate heat in advanced mobile services (collectively referred to as CASE, used for connectivity, autonomy, sharing, and electric), which can prevent the battery from deteriorating due to heat during the charging process.
The thermal conductivity of CFRP is worse than that of aluminum alloy and other metals, which has prompted efforts to enhance heat dissipation by using external or internal graphite plates. Graphite plates have good thermal conductivity, heat dissipation and diffusion properties. However, these graphite sheets are easily broken, dispersed and damaged, thereby affecting the performance of CFRP.
Over the years, Toray has used proprietary technology to develop and apply high-rigidity porous CFRP to form a three-dimensional network of short carbon fibers. In this case, Toray created a thermally conductive layer that uses a porous CFRP carrier to protect the graphite sheet. By laminating CFRP prepreg on this thermally conductive layer, Toray can obtain a thermal conductivity higher than that of metal. For conventional CFRP, it can be achieved without compromising the mechanical properties and quality of the material. Obviously it is impossible.
As a sheet-like intermediate material, CFRP prepreg is realized by impregnating reinforcing fibers with resin. Its common applications are aircraft fuselages, main wings and tail wings, and other major structural components, as well as golf clubs, fishing rods, tennis rackets and other sports equipment.
Toray can clarify the thickness and lamination position of the graphite plate to form a heat conduction path, thereby realizing a flexible thermal management design that can control the path of heat release or use, thereby achieving control of the cooling efficiency and heat diffusion path of CFRP .
Toray’s breakthrough in this field will provide a technical solution that can effectively dissipate heat from batteries and electronic circuits without destroying the CFRP structure. According to the company's estimates, CFRP applications using this technology will include advanced mobility, mobile electronic devices, and wearable devices that require lightness and heat dissipation.