Liquid Metal as Thermal Interface Material

by Yaroslav Lyssenko

[ 12/20/2005 | 10:50 PM ]

The research of more and more efficient technologies for cooling never stops: in the past few years computer coolers faced a lot of changes and more companies began to produce cooling system targeting enthusiasts – water-coolers, phase-change systems and other. But not only actual products, but even the thermal interface materials are improving.

Coollaboratory, a startup based in Germany, has introduced an interesting product for those in search of high performance thermal interface material. The Coollaboratory Liquid Metal is positioned as a high-performance replacement for wide-spread thermal grease that is supposed to ensure better heat conduction. 

Coollaboratory liquid metal consists of a liquid metal alloy at a 100%. It does not contain any non-metallic additives like silicone, oxides, nor it does not include any solid components either. “Due to this composition, which is a completely new for heat conducting pastes, it surpasses the best previously existing heat conducting pastes in the heat conductivity value by the factor 9-10, more simple heat conducting pastes by the factor 100. “Coollaboratory liquid metal” is optimised in its composition for the application with high-quality copper coolers,” says a statement at Coollaboratory’s web-site.

Although the product is advertised as a better than conventional thermal paste solution, the real-life testing carried out by PimpRig.com showed slightly different picture. The Coollaboratory Liquid Metal was tested and compared with such thermal compounds as Arctic Silver 5, Blue Nanotherm and Ceramique.

“All of the thermal interface material performed very similar, with the Liquid Metal having the second best temperatures of the group. I believe this shows that the Liquid Metal actually works, but what the long term performance is like is unknown,” writes PimpRig.com.

• Coollaboratory.
• PimpRig.com: Coollaboratory Liquid Metal - Thermal Interface Material.