EGaIn-based thermal management for high heat flux electronics
Abstract
The increasing power density of modern electronic systems makes efficient thermal management essential for maintaining device performance, reliability, and operational lifetime. Among emerging thermal management materials, eutectic gallium-indium (EGaIn) has attracted attention because it uniquely combines metallic thermal conductivity with room-temperature fluidity, enabling efficient heat transfer and conformal contact with interfaces. In this review, we examine EGaIn as an adaptive thermal management platform and connect its material properties with the thermal functions they enable, their implementation in cooling systems, and the associated engineering challenges. We discuss how EGaIn enhances heat dissipation through interfacial heat transfer, liquid metal cooling, and thermally conductive composites, and review applications in batteries, high-performance electronics, electronic packaging, and flexible devices. We discuss challenges including oxidation, leakage, corrosion, electrical insulation, and long-term reliability, together with engineering strategies to address them. Finally, we provide perspectives for developing reliable EGaIn-based thermal management technologies for next-generation electronic and energy systems.
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BibTeX
@article{joung2026egainbased,
title = {{EGaIn-based thermal management for high heat flux electronics}},
author = {Jin Young Joung and Hyeonjong Na and So Hee Yoon and Yong-hee Jeong and Moohyun Lee and Carmel Majidi and Han Kim},
journal = {iScience},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1016/j.isci.2026.117822},
url = {https://www.cell.com/iscience/fulltext/S2589-0042(26)03203-7},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - EGaIn-based thermal management for high heat flux electronics
AU - Jin Young Joung
AU - Hyeonjong Na
AU - So Hee Yoon
AU - Yong-hee Jeong
AU - Moohyun Lee
AU - Carmel Majidi
AU - Han Kim
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/14
JO - iScience
DO - 10.1016/j.isci.2026.117822
UR - https://www.cell.com/iscience/fulltext/S2589-0042(26)03203-7
AB - The increasing power density of modern electronic systems makes efficient thermal management essential for maintaining device performance, reliability, and operational lifetime. Among emerging thermal management materials, eutectic gallium-indium (EGaIn) has attracted attention because it uniquely combines metallic thermal conductivity with room-temperature fluidity, enabling efficient heat transfer and conformal contact with interfaces. In this review, we examine EGaIn as an adaptive thermal management platform and connect its material properties with the thermal functions they enable, their implementation in cooling systems, and the associated engineering challenges. We discuss how EGaIn enhances heat dissipation through interfacial heat transfer, liquid metal cooling, and thermally conductive composites, and review applications in batteries, high-performance electronics, electronic packaging, and flexible devices. We discuss challenges including oxidation, leakage, corrosion, electrical insulation, and long-term reliability, together with engineering strategies to address them. Finally, we provide perspectives for developing reliable EGaIn-based thermal management technologies for next-generation electronic and energy systems.
SN - 2589-0042
ER -