Modern devices, from cell phones and computers to electric vehicles and servers, generate an enormous amount of heat. Without proper temperature control, the accumulated heat can compromise performance, reduce efficiency and shorten the lifespan of electronic components.

Thermal management, i.e., the ability to dissipate this heat effectively, has become a priority in the technology industry. Device designers are faced with the challenge of maintaining adequate temperatures in an ever-shrinking space, making the need to dissipate heat a key determinant of device efficiency and performance.

Current Solutions in Thermal Management

Today, the industry employs various solutions to control temperature in electronic devices, which fall into three main categories:

1. Passive cooling systems: These systems do not require external power to operate. Heat sinks and thermal pastes are common examples. They work by channeling heat to larger surface areas or materials with high thermal conductivity, allowing it to dissipate into the air. However, passive solutions, while efficient in terms of energy consumption, have limitations in terms of the amount of heat they can dissipate and are often ineffective in situations of high component density or in environments with low airflow.
2. Active cooling systems: These systems use fans, pumps or even advanced technologies such as liquid or compressor cooling. Although they are more effective in handling large amounts of heat, they have disadvantages such as additional power consumption, noise and larger size, making them difficult to integrate into compact and portable devices.

3. Hybrid systems: Combine the advantages of active and passive systems. For example, a passive heatsink can be used in conjunction with a fan to improve heat transfer. While this can improve heat dissipation capacity, there remains the challenge of adapting to increasingly smaller devices, where limited space makes it difficult to include multiple cooling systems.

Despite these solutions, the reality is that many of them fail to fully adapt to the demands of modern devices. The reduction of space and the increase in power density generate the need to develop more efficient and versatile technologies that can manage large amounts of heat in diverse environments and in a customized way for each device.

CIC energiGUNE´s innovative approach: Advanced Materials for Thermal Management

At CIC energiGUNE, we have developed advanced materials for thermal management, taking advantage of our deep know-how in the manufacture of fibers with thermal energy storage capacity. Thanks to this knowledge, we have been able to manufacture materials that not only dissipate heat efficiently, but also store it temporarily, delaying the heating of devices. This breakthrough has enabled us to develop flexible materials that can be molded in various geometries, adapting to the specific needs of different electronic devices and other industrial applications.

^{Figure 1: a) macroscopic image of CIC energiGUNE fibers, b) microscopic image of CIC energiGUNE fibers, c) adapted geometry of CIC energiGUNE fibers and d) microscopy images of CIC energiGUNE materials for implementation in CPUs.}

These materials have been tested in real electronic devices, demonstrating a direct impact on improving thermal management. Studies have shown that the implementation of our materials in systems such as commercial CPUs makes it possible to delay heating by up to 55%. This effect is even more pronounced as component power increases, which is key to addressing the continued growth in capacity and performance of future electronic devices, which will continue to increase in power while decreasing in size.

^{Figure 2: a) CIC energiGUNE material implemented in commercial CPU, b) improvement coefficients obtained with CIC energiGUNE materials in CPU.}

But the applicability of these materials is not limited to electronic components. Thanks to their versatility in adapting to various formats, they can have much broader applications. These include:

• Textiles: Applications for smart clothing that integrate sensors and electronic components to regulate body temperature, where heat dissipation is essential for the comfort and durability of the product.
• Building: Applications for materials that improve thermal management in buildings, enabling more efficient indoor temperature control, improving energy efficiency and sustainability.
• Medicine: Applications in medical devices that generate heat, such as certain diagnostic equipment or prostheses with integrated electronics, where thermal management is key to their correct operation and safety.
• Transportation: In electric vehicles and other automotive applications, where thermal management of batteries and motors is critical for their performance and durability.

In summary, the thermal management capabilities of the materials developed at CIC energiGUNE, together with their flexibility to adapt to multiple formats, make them a potential customized and highly efficient solution to improve the energy efficiency and performance of modern and future devices beyond electronics.