Toray's carbon fiber composite achieves metal-like thermal conductivity

Toray Industries of Japan has developed a thermal conductivity technology that increases the heat dissipation performance of carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) to the level of metal
.
Applying this technique to CFRP effectively dissipates heat away from the source through thermal conduction paths within the material
.
This helps suppress battery degradation in mobile applications while improving the performance of electronic devices
.

Common applications for this light, strong, and rigid plastic include aircraft, automobiles, infrastructure components, sporting goods, and electronic equipment
.
When CFRP is used as an advanced flow structural material, improving its heat dissipation performance is of great significance to prevent battery deterioration due to heat accumulation during charging
.
However, CFRP is not as thermally conductive as aluminum alloys and other metals, prompting efforts to enhance heat dissipation by using external or internal graphite sheets
.
However, these graphite flakes are prone to fracture, dispersion and damage, and affect the performance of CFRP
.

Over the years, Toray has used proprietary technology to develop and apply rigid, porous CFRP materials that use short carbon fibers to form a three-dimensional network
.
This time, Toray created a thermally conductive layer, supported by porous CFRP, to protect the graphite sheet
.
Lamination of CFRP prepreg on this thermally conductive layer gives it a higher thermal conductivity than metal
.
This is not possible with ordinary CFRP without affecting the mechanical properties and quality of the material
.

Prepreg is a sheet-like intermediate material that impregnates fibers with resin to reinforce them
.
Common applications are aircraft fuselages, main and tail wings, and other major structural components
.
It is also used in golf clubs, fishing rods, tennis rackets and other sports equipment
.

Toray can vary the thickness and lamination position of the graphite sheets that form the heat conduction path, enabling flexible thermal management designs, controlling the paths for releasing or utilizing heat, and achieving CFRP cooling efficiency and heat diffusion
.

Toray's breakthrough is a technological solution to efficiently dissipate heat from batteries and electronic circuits without compromising the lightweight properties of CFRP
.
The company expects that CFRP applications using its technology will include advanced mobile devices, mobile electronics, and wearables that require light weight and heat dissipation
.