This document describes a new graphite foam material with high thermal conductivity that could enable improved thermal management in electronics. The graphite foam has a thermal conductivity 5 times greater than copper but only 1/5 the weight of aluminum. It is currently being manufactured and has applications in electronics cooling, space radiators, and LED/fluorescent cooling. The material provides unmatched thermal performance for its weight and could allow increased performance and durability in applications like laptops and secure government communications.

1. High Thermal
Conductivity
Graphite Foam for
Electronics
Presenter: Alex DeTrana
Principal Investigator: James Klett,
Ph.D.
Commercialization Manager: Alex
DeTrana

2. Technology Description
• Foam made of pure carbon with unique
characteristics
– Surface area 100x greater than traditional heat
exchangers
– Weight 1/5 that of aluminum
– Thermal conductivity 5x that of copper
2 Managed by UT-Battelle
for the U.S. Department of Energy Presentation_name

3. Technology Opportunity
• Material being manufactured by two
companies
• Material has been extensively tested and
evaluated
• Only remaining work is engineering for
specific applications
• Technology currently being deployed in a
variety of applications:
– Space radiator
– LED cooling
– Fluorescent cooling
3 Managed by UT-Battelle
for the U.S. Department of Energy Presentation_name

4. Technology Leadership
• Unique technology
– Unmatched combination of surface area, thermal
conductivity, and weight
• Unique capabilities and characteristics
– Very high thermal conductivity
– Very low density
– Very little thermal expansion
– RF shielding
– Sound insulation
4 Managed by UT-Battelle
for the U.S. Department of Energy Presentation_name

5. Applications – Target Customers –
Current Practice
Application #1 Microprocessor
5 Managed by UT-Battelle
Application
Description
Target Customers Current Practice
cooling
Computer
component
manufacturers
for the U.S. Department of Energy Presentation_name
Copper or
aluminum heat
sinks/heat pipes
Application #2 Embassy secure
communications
American and
foreign
governments
Complicated and
expensive materials
and anti-RF active
technology

6. Competitive Differentiation
Product Name Manufacturer Relevance
Fan/heatsink
combination
6 Managed by UT-Battelle
Various Achieves similar result using a
for the U.S. Department of Energy Presentation_name
different (active) approach
Dense metal/active
countermeasures
Various Achieves similar result using a
complex and less effective
approach

7. Revenue and Profit Potential
• Market size:
– Global thermal management: $7.5B in 2010,
growing to $10.5B in 2015
– Thermal management hardware accounts for 84%
of market
• Incremental cost increase per laptop will be
nominal
– May be lower due to part reduction/simplification
• Could increase laptop performance and
durability
• Could create a premium product for certain
applications
7 Managed by UT-Battelle
for the U.S. Department of Energy Presentation_name
– Government/military applications

8. Contact Information
• Alex DeTrana
Senior Commercialization Manager
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
865-576-9682
detranaag@ornl.gov
8 Managed by UT-Battelle
for the U.S. Department of Energy Presentation_name