Many people have experienced their devices suddenly heating up while scrolling through their phones or playing demanding games. Overheating in smartphones can cause numerous issues, such as degraded user experience, accidental screen touches, unstable network connections, and even safety hazards like fires or explosions. Hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) may offer a solution to this overheating problem in electronic devices.
Electronic device overheating primarily stems from the sudden surge in power consumption during high-load CPU or GPU operations. Continuous data transmission via 5G networks or Wi-Fi hotspots also generates significant heat in RF chips. Traditional thermal management materials—such as copper heat sinks, graphite sheets, and thermal silicone gel—employ distinct heat transfer mechanisms. Copper sinks rely on efficient heat transfer through free electron migration; while graphite sheets and thermal silicone gel primarily rely on phonon (lattice vibration) heat transfer. However, this process is affected by phonon scattering, and thermal resistance arises at material interfaces due to phonon mismatch, limiting heat transfer efficiency.
Hexagonal boron nitride differs from traditional materials as a highly anisotropic substance. Its crystal structure resembles graphite, yet exhibits significant variations in physical properties across different orientations. Its in-plane thermal conductivity reaches 400 W/m·K, while the out-of-plane value is only about 2 W/m·K. Moreover, it exhibits unique dielectric properties in the mid-infrared spectrum, enabling efficient propagation of hyperbolic phonon-polaron hybrids as near-field electromagnetic waves, thereby enhancing thermal transfer efficiency.
A research team from the University of California, Los Angeles experimentally validated its advantages. They discovered that the thermal boundary conductivity at the gold-hexagonal boron nitride interface reaches up to 100 MW/m·K, which is 10 to 100 times higher than conventional phonon conduction methods. Under the hyperbolic phonon-polaron mode, heat transfer time spans merely 0.01–0.1 milliseconds—significantly faster than the 1–10 milliseconds typical of conventional methods—offering novel thermal solutions for high-power electronic and photonic devices.
Current experiments focus solely on the gold-hexagonal boron nitride interface, with further research needed on how hexagonal boron nitride thickness affects performance. Nevertheless, this technology offers a novel direction for developing safer, more stable, and efficient future electronic devices. As research progresses, hexagonal boron nitride holds promise to revolutionize thermal design and management in electronic devices, potentially eliminating overheating issues.
BN(CHINA) Technology's h-BN powder is synthesized via high-temperature methods using advanced continuous calcination equipment. It features high purity, excellent consistency, strong batch supply capability, and cost advantages. Currently available in four specifications—PBN700 (purity ≥99.5%), PBN500 (purity >99%), PBN300 (purity >98%), and PBN100 (purity >97%)—these products have been successfully applied in thermal gels, electronic encapsulation, high-temperature insulation materials, and boron nitride ceramics.
