Nano- and micro-/meso-scale engineered magnesium/diamond composites: Novel materials for emerging challenges in thermal management

Magnesium/diamond composites, often overlooked or discarded for thermal management applications because of their low thermal conductivity values, can be considered serious candidates for these applications when their metal-diamond interfaces and phase compositions are properly engineered. In this study, magnesium/diamond composites with thermally enhanced interfaces and monomodal and bimodal distributions of particles are designed, manufactured and characterized to reach thermal conductivity values of up to 716 W/m K. This target value is competitive with the most recently developed aluminium- and copper-matrix composites and is achieved through a double-scale process of engineering that encompasses the following: (i) the application of a nano-dimensioned TiC coating on the diamond particles; and (ii) the use of bimodal mixtures of particles with an average size and proportions that are conveniently selected by micro-/meso-scale engineering based on blending different predictive schemes.