YouTuber and Thermal Grizzly CEO der8auer has concluded a two-year electron microscope study on liquid metal thermal interface materials. The research reveals that liquid metal does not dry out but instead forms a solid compound through a chemical reaction.
in the alloy bonds with copper to create CuGa2, a solid compound stable up to 254 degrees Celsius. While bare copper allows layers up to 100 micrometers thick, nickel plating limits this to 10 micrometers by forming a thinner NiGa5 compound layer.
This chemical transition is critical as hardware power density rises, with the reaching triple the density of the 8800 GTX. Despite rising gallium costs and export bans, Thermal Grizzly is launching a new KryoSheet graphene pad for bare die use.