Increasing functionality demands more heat dissipation from the skin of handheld devices. The maximum amount of heat that can be dissipated passively, prescribed by the natural convection and blackbody radiation theories, is becoming the bottleneck. In this letter, we propose a novel bio-inspirited technique that may overcome this passive cooling limit. It is made possible by using a biomimetic skin capable of perspiration on demand. The key component of the biomimetic skin is a thin layer of temperature sensitive hydro gel (TSHG). The TSHG layer can sweat the skin with moisture when the skin temperature is higher than the TSHG’s lower critical solution temperature (LCST), and thus boost the heat dissipation rate through evaporation. The TSHG layer can absorb moisture at low temperature to replenish. With this novel passive cooling technology, a handheld device can have nearly four times more power beyond the traditional passive cooling limit, and may be powerful enough to run a desktop operation system like a full functional personal computer.
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e-mail: xjhu@whu.edu.cn
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March 2012
Technical Briefs
Bio-inspired Passive Skin Cooling for Handheld Microelectronics Devices
Zhi Huang,
Zhi Huang
School of Power and Mechanical Engineering,
Wuhan University
, Wuhan, Hubei 430072, China
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Xinsheng Zhang,
Xinsheng Zhang
School of Power and Mechanical Engineering,
Wuhan University
, Wuhan, Hubei 430072, China
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Ming Zhou,
Ming Zhou
School of Power and Mechanical Engineering,
Wuhan University
, Wuhan, Hubei 430072, China
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Xiaoding Xu,
Xiaoding Xu
School of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences,
Wuhan University
, Wuhan, Hubei 430072, China
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Xianzheng Zhang,
Xianzheng Zhang
School of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences,
Wuhan University
, Wuhan, Hubei 430072, China
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Xuejiao Hu
Xuejiao Hu
School of Power and Mechanical Engineering,
e-mail: xjhu@whu.edu.cn
Wuhan University
, Wuhan, Hubei 430072, China
Search for other works by this author on:
Zhi Huang
School of Power and Mechanical Engineering,
Wuhan University
, Wuhan, Hubei 430072, China
Xinsheng Zhang
School of Power and Mechanical Engineering,
Wuhan University
, Wuhan, Hubei 430072, China
Ming Zhou
School of Power and Mechanical Engineering,
Wuhan University
, Wuhan, Hubei 430072, China
Xiaoding Xu
School of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences,
Wuhan University
, Wuhan, Hubei 430072, China
Xianzheng Zhang
School of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences,
Wuhan University
, Wuhan, Hubei 430072, China
Xuejiao Hu
School of Power and Mechanical Engineering,
Wuhan University
, Wuhan, Hubei 430072, China
e-mail: xjhu@whu.edu.cn
J. Electron. Packag. Mar 2012, 134(1): 014501 (4 pages)
Published Online: March 19, 2012
Article history
Received:
July 14, 2011
Revised:
November 10, 2011
Accepted:
November 30, 2011
Published:
March 7, 2012
Online:
March 19, 2012
Citation
Huang, Z., Zhang, X., Zhou, M., Xu, X., Zhang, X., and Hu, X. (March 19, 2012). "Bio-inspired Passive Skin Cooling for Handheld Microelectronics Devices." ASME. J. Electron. Packag. March 2012; 134(1): 014501. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4005908
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