A review on advanced phase change material-based cooling for energy-efficient electronics

Increased power densities brought about by the quick development of high-power electronic devices call for effective thermal management to guarantee optimum performance and endurance. PCMs offer a passive and sustainable cooling solution, enhancing system reliability and energy efficiency. To maximize thermal energy management in electronic devices, this study intends to examine recent developments in PCM-based cooling systems over the previous five years, emphasizing their integration with hybrid cooling technologies such as fins, heat pipes, and nanoparticle-enhanced PCMs. In contrast to traditional reviews, this work focuses on hybrid PCM designs, demonstrating how heat dissipation is greatly enhanced by combining PCMs with nanomaterials, expanded surfaces, and active cooling approaches. Energy consumption in cooling systems can be reduced by optimizing these thermal management techniques, which will support sustainable energy management objectives. A thorough evaluation of recent research was carried out to assess the thermal performance of several PCM types, such as paraffin wax and RT-35HC, as well as nano-enhanced PCMs infused with graphene and metallic nanoparticles. Their effects on lowering temperatures and improving thermal conductivity in electronic cooling applications are the main topic of the review. While nano-enhanced PCMs exhibit a thermal conductivity gain of more than 100 %, paraffin wax-based PCMs can lower operating temperatures by up to 15 °C. High-power electronics showed temperature reductions of about 10 °C using RT-35HC, demonstrating the promise of hybrid PCM systems for energy-efficient cooling solutions.