WO2014028027A1

WO2014028027A1 - Plastic nanocomposites and methods of making the same

Info

Publication number: WO2014028027A1
Application number: PCT/US2012/051364
Authority: WO
Inventors: Masahiro Kishida
Original assignee: Empire Technology Development Llc
Priority date: 2012-08-17
Filing date: 2012-08-17
Publication date: 2014-02-20

Abstract

Techniques related to plastic nanocomposite materials are generally described herein. These techniques may be embodied in apparatuses, systems, methods and/or processes for making and using such materials. An example process may include: providing nanostructures, wherein the thermal conductivity of the nanostructures is greater than about 100 W/Km; coating the nanostructures with silica to form silica-coated nanostructures with at least one coating layer of the silica; dispersing the silica-coated nanostructures in a fluid comprising a polymer to form a fluidic composition containing dispersed nanostructures; and solidifying the fluidic composition containing dispersed nanostructures to form the plastic nanocomposite material.

Description

PLASTIC NANOCOMPOSITES AND METHODS OF MAKING THE SAME

BACKGROUND

[0001] Unless otherwise indicated herein, the materials described in this section are not prior art to the claims in this disclosure and are not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.

[0002] Electronic devices (such as CPUs and DSPs used in graphic accelerators) are becoming more and more compact with densely integrated elements, while operating at high speeds and consuming substantial electric power. It may be necessary to take various measures to increase and/or improve the heat dissipation characteristics of the semiconductor components in these devices. Heat sinks are a typical example of such measures.

[0003] In general, heat sinks may be fabricated from aluminum or copper using a laborious process, such as carving the devices from a metal block or soldering a large number of small metal fins. Although they are passive components, heat sinks may incur substantial manufacturing costs.

[0004] Although it may be possible to fabricate plastic heat sinks by injection molding, it has been difficult to obtain a plastic material having a thermal conductivity adequate for desired performance. One known problem regarding the use of nanofillers for plastic heat sinks is that heat resistance is very high at the interface between substances having different properties. Even if a material with good thermal conductivity is used, the heat resistance at the interfaces has a stronger effect, thereby inhibiting improvement in the thermal conductivity of the material as a whole. Thus, when using nanofillers, it is important to reduce the number of interfaces along the heat transfer direction.

[0005] Various attempts have been made to overcome this problem. For example, solder powder that dissolves at a temperature lower than the shaping temperature of a plastic material with high liquidity (such as polyphenylene sulfide (PPS)) has been used. This allows the solder powder to dissolve at the time of shaping to form a continuous channel. Shaped items having high thermal conductivity have also been obtained by using a plastic composite having high thermal conductivity in which carbon fibers are cross-linked in a polylactic acid- based plastic material. These technologies are currently being used in optical pickups.

[0006] In these technologies, it is important that fillers having high thermal conductivity are dispersed in a plastic material and that the fillers come into contact with each other when the composite is shaped to form a continuous heat transfer channel. However, PPS is primarily the only plastic material with sufficient dispersion properties and liquidity to uniformly disperse fillers. Further, other materials currently require a binder to improve dispersibility and binding between fillers.

[0007] The present disclosure appreciates that to improve thermal conductivity in a plastic heat sink, it may be beneficial to use a molded plastic material in which nanostructures with high thermal conductivity can be uniformly dispersed to form a continuous heat transfer channel. However, conventional methods for preparing plastic nanocomposite materials may not be capable of dispersing nanostructures in a uniform fashion. Thus, the present disclosure identifies that a method for uniformly dispersing nanostructures may be utilized to further improve thermal conductivity in plastic nanocomposite materials.

SUMMARY

[0008] Some embodiments disclosed herein may include a method of making a plastic nanocomposite material with high thermal conductivity including: providing nanostructures, wherein the thermal conductivity of the nanostructures is greater than about 100 W/Km; coating the nanostructures with silica to form silica-coated nanostructures with at least one coating layer of the silica; dispersing the silica-coated nanostructures in a fluid comprising a polymer to form a fluidic composition containing dispersed nanostructures; and solidifying the fluidic composition containing dispersed nanostructures to form the plastic nanocomposite material.

[0009] Some embodiments disclosed herein may include a method of making a heat sink device including: providing a fluidic composition comprising a polymer and electrically conducting filler particles, wherein the filler particles comprise nanostructures coated with at least one layer of silica; injecting the fluidic composition into a mold; and curing the molded fluidic composition to form the heat sink device.

[0010] Some embodiments disclosed herein may include a fluidic composition including: a polymer; electrically conducting filler particles; and a fluid carrier, wherein the electrically conducting filler particles comprise nanostructures coated with at least one layer of silica, wherein the thermal conductivity of the nanostructures is greater than about 100 W/Km, and wherein the viscosity of the fluidic composition is less than about 1000 poise. [0011] Some embodiments disclosed herein may include a plastic nanocomposite material prepared by a process including: providing nanostructures, wherein the thermal conductivity of the nanostructures is greater than about 100 W/Km; coating the nanostructures with silica to form silica-coated nanostructures with at least one coating layer of the silica; dispersing the silica-coated nanostructures in a fluid comprising a polymer to form a fluidic composition containing dispersed nanostructures; and solidifying the fluidic composition containing dispersed nanostructures to form the plastic nanocomposite material.

[0012] Some embodiments disclosed herein may include a heat sink device comprising: a plastic nanocomposite material comprising a polymer; and electrically conducting filler particles, wherein the filler particles comprise nanostructures coated with at least one layer of silica, and wherein the plastic nanocomposite material has been injection molded to form a heat sink.

[0013] Some embodiments disclosed herein may include a system including: a controller configured to execute instructions to facilitate making a heat sink; a mixer coupled to the controller and configured to mix a fluidic composition comprising polymers and silica- coated nanostructures; a fluid delivery device coupled to the mixer and the controller, wherein the fluid delivery device is configured via the controller to provide a fluidic composition, the fluidic composition comprising polymers and silica-coated nanostructures; and a mold fluidly coupled to the fluid delivery device, wherein the mold is configured to receive the fluidic composition and form a heat sink.

[0014] Some embodiments disclosed herein may include an electronic apparatus including: a processor; and a passive heat dissipating member thermally coupled to the processor, wherein the passive heat dissipating member comprises a polymer and silica- coated nanostructures, wherein the density of the silica coated nanostructures is substantially uniform throughout the passive heat dissipating apparatus, and wherein heat radiating from the processor is transferred to the passive heat dissipating member.

[0015] The foregoing summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any way limiting. In addition to the illustrative aspects, embodiments, and features described above, further aspects, embodiments, and features will become apparent by reference to the drawings and the following detailed description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] The foregoing and other features of this disclosure will become more fully apparent from the following description and appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Understanding that these drawings depict only several embodiments in accordance with the disclosure and are, therefore, not to be considered limiting of its scope, the disclosure will be described with additional specificity and detail through use of the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0017] FIG. 1 is a flow diagram illustrating one example of a method of making a plastic nanocomposite material in accordance with at least some examples of the present disclosure.

[0018] FIG. 2 is a flow diagram illustrating one example of a method of making a plastic nanocomposite material in accordance with at least some examples of the present disclosure.

[0019] FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating one example of a computing device that may be configured to control one or more operations in accordance with at least some examples of the present disclosure.

[0020] FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating one example of a computing device that may be configured to control one or more operations in accordance with at least some examples of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof. In the drawings, similar symbols typically identify similar components, unless context dictates otherwise. The illustrative embodiments described in the detailed description, drawings, and claims are not meant to be limiting. Other embodiments may be utilized, and other changes may be made, without departing from the spirit or scope of the subject matter presented herein. It will be readily understood that the aspects of the present disclosure, as generally described herein, and illustrated in the Figures, can be arranged, substituted, combined, separated, and designed in a wide variety of different configurations, all of which are explicitly contemplated herein.

[0022] This disclosure is generally drawn to, inter alia, methods, apparatus, systems, devices, and computer program products related to plastic nanocomposite materials. As used herein, "nanocomposite materials" may refer to materials having a diameter in a range from about 1 nm to about 1,000 nm. The use of nanocomposite materials as disclosed herein may allow the development of heat sinks with significantly improved thermoconductive characteristics.

[0023] Briefly stated, the present disclosure generally describes techniques related to plastic nanocomposite materials. These described techniques may be embodied in apparatuses, systems, methods and/or processes for making and using such material. An example process may include: providing nanostructures, wherein the thermal conductivity of the nanostructures is greater than about 100 W/Km; coating the nanostructures with silica to form silica-coated nanostructures with at least one coating layer of the silica; dispersing the silica-coated nanostructures in a fluid comprising a polymer to form a fluidic composition containing dispersed nanostructures; and solidifying the fluidic composition containing dispersed nanostructures to form the plastic nanocomposite material. An example process may also include: providing a fluidic composition comprising a polymer and electrically conducting filler particles, wherein the filler particles comprise nanostructures coated with at least one layer of silica; injecting the fluidic composition into a mold; and solidifying the molded fluidic composition to form the heat sink device. Various described techniques may provide plastic nanocomposite materials with superior nanostructure dispersion which may result in improved thermoconductive properties.

[0024] The present disclosure may also include, for example, plastic nanocomposite materials formed by the disclosed methods, apparatuses and devices that include the plastic nanocomposite materials, systems configured to perform the disclosed methods, and computer program products with instructions to facilitate performing the disclosed methods.

[0025] As generally presented above, metal can be adapted to fabricate heat sinks. In practice, however, such fabrication may involve substantial manufacturing costs. Further, it has been very difficult to obtain a conventional plastic material having a thermal conductivity adequate for the desired performance of a heat sink. The present disclosure appreciates that various shortcomings in the thermal conductivity of a plastic heat sink may be partially due to the failure to uniformly disperse nanostructures with high thermal conductivity in a plastic composite material. Thus, the present disclosure appreciates that methods of forming plastic nanocomposite materials that uniformly disperse nanostructures may be desirable.

[0026] Described herein are some methods of forming plastic nanocomposite materials with high thermal conductivity. By using nanoscale fillers, the plastic materials described herein can be precisely shaped. Further, coating nanoscale fillers with silica may facilitate uniform distribution of the fillers in the plastic nanocomposite materials. In some embodiments, the materials described herein may be shaped by injection molding. In the case of rod-shaped structures having a large aspect ratio, the methods described herein can provide anisotropic thermal conductivity in accordance with the orientation of the bundle of rods. The methods described herein may be utilized to achieve a heat transfer direction suitable for various intended applications described herein. In some embodiments, resistance at the interfaces in the direction of heat transfer is almost absent.

[0027] As described herein, even if good thermal conductors are contained in a plastic material, the thermal conductivity of the plastic material may not improve when the thermal resistance at the interfaces is high. In the devices and apparatuses described herein, resistance at the interfaces in the direction of heat transfer is almost absent, so that a thermal conductivity corresponding to the composition ratio of the conductive nanostructures is achieved. For example, in some embodiments, an epoxy resin containing about 50 wt % of silver nanowires may exhibit a thermal conductivity of about 50 W/Km.

[0028] Although the thermal conductivity of a metal in a plastic nanocomposite material can be about one order of magnitude lower than the metal alone, precise shaping by injection molding as described herein may facilitate an increase in surface area that can improve thermal conductivity. The formation of complex shapes (which has been difficult with the assembly of metal plates or carving of a metal block) can improve the cooling efficiency by forming a shape more suitable for thermal energy dissipation (e.g., heat dissipation). In some embodiments, injection molding can be utilized to form very small projections and recesses on the surface of heat dissipating fins. In some embodiments, the projections may have at least one dimension that is, for example, less than about 5 mm; less than about 1 mm; less than about 500 μπι; less than about 100 μπι; or less than about 50 μπι.

[0029] FIG. 1 is a flow diagram illustrating one example of a method 100 of making a plastic nanocomposite material, in accordance with at least some examples of the present disclosure. The flow diagram is one example of a process within the scope of the invention. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the method 100 may include one or more functions, operations, or actions as illustrated by one or more of operations 101-105. Operations 101- 104 may include a "Provide Nanostructures" operation 101, a "Coat the Nanostructures with Silica" operation 102, a "Disperse the Coated Nanostructures in a Fluid with Polymers" operation 103, and/or a "Solidify the Fluid to Form a Plastic Composite" operation 104. [0030] In FIG. 1, operations 101-104 are illustrated as being performed sequentially, with operation 101 first and operation 104 last. It will be appreciated however that these operations may be re-ordered, combined, and/or divided into additional or different operations as appropriate to suit particular embodiments. In some additional embodiments, additional operations may be added. Additionally, the described operations or portions thereof may be performed concurrently in some embodiments.

[0031] Example method 100 may begin at operation 101, "Provide Nanostructures." In operation 101, a plurality of nanostructures can be provided. The nanostructures may include one or more inorganic materials, such as metals, metal oxides, alloys, or semiconducting materials. For example, the nanostructures can include a metal having high thermal conductivity, such as silver, copper, gold, or aluminum, or a carbon material (such as carbon nanotubes, fullerenes, or diamond).

[0032] In some embodiments, the nanostructures are wire-shaped. The nanostructures may have an average diameter of less than about 1,000 nm. For example, the nanostructures may have an average diameter of less than about 500 nm; less than about 250 nm; less than about 100 nm; less than about 75 nm; less than about 60 nm; or less than about 50 nm. In some examples, the nanostructures may have an average diameter of at least about 1 nm; at least about 5 nm; at least about 10 nm; at least about 20 nm; at least about 30 nm; or at least about 50 nm. In some embodiments, the nanostructures may have an average diameter in a range of about 1 nm to about 1,000 nm. In some embodiments, the nanostructures may have an average diameter in a range of about 5 nm to about 500 nm. In some embodiments, the nanostructures may have an average diameter in a range of about 10 nm to about 100 nm.

[0033] The shape of the nanostructures is not particularly limited. The nanostructures may, for example, be one or more rod-shaped structures, spherical structures, cubic structures, and wire-shaped structures. In some embodiments, the nanosctructures can be wire- shaped structures.

[0034] In some embodiments, the nanostructures have a high aspect ratio. As used herein, the aspect ratio may be considered as the ratio of the largest dimension of an object (e.g., the nano structure) to the smallest dimension of the object. In some examples, the aspect ratio of the nanostructures may be at least about 10; at least about 25; at least about 50; at least about 100; or at least about 200.

[0035] The thermal conductivity of the nanostructures may be configured to increase the thermal conductivity of the plastic nanocomposite. The nanostructures may, for example, have a thermal conductivity of at least about 100 W/Km; at least about 200 W/Km; at least about 300 W/Km; at least about 400 W/Km; at least about 500 W/km; or at least about 1000 W/Km. In some embodiments, the nanostructure may have a thermal conductivity in a range of from about 100 W/Km to about 2100 W/Km.

[0036] The nanostructures may include, for example, a metal or a carbon-based material. In some embodiments, the metal can be one or more of silver, copper, gold, or aluminum. In some embodiments, the nanostructures include silver. In some embodiments, the carbon-based material can be one or more of carbon nanotubes, fullerenes, or diamond. The present disclosure appreciates that two or more of these materials may be combined in the nanostructure. For example, the nanostructures may include gold and silver. Furthermore, the present disclosure appreciates that two or more types of nanostructure can be included in the plastic nanocomposite. Thus, for example, the plastic nanocomposites may include silver nanostructures and diamond nanostructures.

[0037] Operation 101 may be followed by operation 102, "Coat the Nanostructures with Silica." In operation 102, the method of coating the nanostructures with silica is not particularly limited. In some embodiments, the method of forming silica coating layers on the surfaces of the nanostructures may include deposition, adsorption, and/or sol-gel synthesis. For the purpose of forming thin and uniform coating layers, sol-gel synthesis may be used. As one example, the nanostructures may be exposed to one or more othosilicic acid esters (e.g., tetraethoxysilane) under acidic conditions to yield silica. As another example the nanostructures may be exposed to one or more othosilicic acid esters and one or more silica coupling reagents (e.g., aminopropyltriethoxysilane). The nanostructures may be exposed to a silica-containing composition at any temperature above a melting point of a solvent in the composition and below a boiling point of the solvent. In some embodiments, the nanostructures may be exposed to a silica-containing composition at temperature in the range of about 0 °C to about 100 °C. In some embodiments, the nanostructures may be exposed to a silica-containing composition at temperature in the range of about 40 °C to about 60 °C. The pressure applied to the silica is not particularly limited and may, for example, be about 1 atm. In some embodiments, the silica-coated nanostructures may be optionally cured to harden the silica coating.

[0038] In some embodiments, the surface of the silica-coated nanostructures may be further modified. In some examples, the surface of the coated nanostructures may be modified to be hydrophobic. When modifying the surfaces to be hydrophobic, the silica- coated nanostructures may be dispersed in an anhydrous solvent. Long-chain halogenized hydrocarbons (which may contain oxygen and nitrogen) or long-chain hydrocarbons having carboxyl groups, carbonyl groups, or hydroxyl groups can then be added. The resulting mixture may be heated to fix the hydrocarbon chains on the surfaces of the silica coating layers, thereby enhancing the hydrophobic properties of the surface.

[0039] In some embodiments, the surface of the coated nanostructures may be modified to be hydrophilic. When modifying the surfaces to be hydrophilic, the dispersion silica-coated nanostructures described above may be mixed with a hydrocarbon compound having many hydrophilic functional groups, such as carboxyl groups, carbonyl groups, or hydroxyl groups, and heated to fix the hydrocarbon chains on the surfaces of the silica coating layers. Hydrocarbon groups with short carbon chains can also be fixed on the surface of the silica-coated nanostructures to control the level of hydrophilicity or hydrophobicity. As one of skill in the art will recognize in light of the present disclosure, the substance used for chemical modification depends on the type of polymer that is used. For example, in order to enhance affinity with an epoxy resin, it is preferable to fix hydrophobic groups (e.g., methyl- containing groups) on the surfaces of the silica-coated nanostructures.

[0040] Operation 102 may be followed by operation 103, "Disperse the Nanostructures in a Fluid with Polymers." Any suitable method of dispersing the nanostructures in the fluid may be used. For example, the nanostructures may be dispersed in the fluid using a high- shear mixer.

[0041] In some embodiments, the viscosity of the fluid after dispersing the nanostructures can vary from about 1 poise (P) to about 400 P. The ratio of the viscosity of the fluid including the nanostructures to the viscosity of the fluid without the nanostructures may be small. In some embodiments, the viscosity may increase to no more than about five times the fluidic material without the nanostructures after dispersing the nanostructures.

[0042] The amount of nanostructures used in a fluidic composition is not particularly limited and can be any amount that may be selected sufficient to facilitate improved thermal conductivity of the final plastic nanocomposite material. The volume fraction of the nanostructures in the fluid can be, for example, at least about 5%; at least about 10%; at least about 25%; at least about 50%; at least about 75%; or at least about 90%. The volume fraction of the nanostructures in the fluid can be, for example, less than about 95%; less than about 90%; less than about 75%; less than about 50%; less than about 25%; or less than about 10%. In some embodiments, the volume fraction of the nanostructures may be in a range from about 5% to about 95%.

[0043] Various polymers can be used in the fluid. The polymer may, for example, be a thermoplastic polymer. The polymer can be a homopolymer, copolymer, graft polymer, and the like. In some embodiments, nylon, polyphenylenesulfide (PPS), a polycarbonate, a liquid crystal polymer, and/or syndiotactic polystyrene (SPS) is used. The polymers may have a weight average molecular weight of, for example, at least about 10,000 Da; at least about 25,000 Da; at least about 50,000 Da; at least about 100,000 Da; or at least about 200,000 Da. The polymers may have a weight average molecular weight of, for example, no more than about 3,000,000 Da; no more than about 1,000,000 Da; no more than about 500,000 Da; or no more than about 250,000 Da. In some examples, the polymers may have a weight average molecular weight in a range of about 10,000 Da to about 3,000,000 Da.

[0044] The amount of polymer in the fluid is not particularly limited and can be any amount that can be selected to permit the desired liquidity of the fluidic composition, and/or the desired thermal conductivity of the final plastic nanocomposite material. The volume fraction of the polymer in the fluid can be, for example, at least about 5%; at least about 10%; at least about 25%; at least about 50%; at least about 75%; or at least about 90%. The volume fraction of the polymer in the fluid can be, for example, less than about 95%; less than about 90%; less than about 75%; less than about 50%; less than about 25%; or less than about 10%.

[0045] Operation 103 may be followed by operation 104, "Solidify the Fluid to Form a Plastic Composite." In operation 104, various known methods can be used to solidify the fluid. For example, the fluid can be solidified using curing techniques such as applying heat to the fluid, coating the fluid with an acid, and/or exposing the fluid to electron beam, ultraviolet, or gamma radiation. The curing step may be utilized to harden the polymer and fix the nanocomposite fluid into a final structure. In some embodiments, solidifying the fluid may include cooling the fluid below a melting temperature or a glass transition temperature of the polymers. As one example, the fluid may be cooled by maintaining the fluid under ambient conditions for a period of time effective to reduce the temperature of the fluid below a melting temperature or a glass transition temperature of the polymers (e.g., for at least about 5 mins.). As another example, the fluid may be disposed in a cooling bath, where a temperature of the bath may be less than a melting temperature or a glass transition temperature of the polymers. As another example, the fluid may include polypropylene and is cooled to a temperature below about 40° by storing the polymer at ambient conditions for about 20 minutes.

[0046] The process depicted in FIG. 1 is one example that may be used to prepare a heat dissipation member. In some embodiments, the fluid containing nanostructures can be applied to a heat-generating element (e.g., electronic components, such as processors, CPUs, GPUs, memory devices, power devices, and the like) and solidified to yield the heat dissipation member. For example, the fluid may be injection molded adjacent to the heat- generating element and then solidified so that the fluid is thermally coupled to the electronic component.

[0047] FIG. 2 is a flow diagram illustrating one example of a method 200 of making a plastic nanocomposite material, in accordance with at least some examples of the present disclosure. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the method 200 may include one or more functions, operations, or actions as illustrated by one or more of operations 201-203. Operations 201-203 may include a "Provide a Fluid Including a Polymer and Silica-Coated Nanostructures" operation 201, an "Inject the Fluid into a Mold" operation 202, and/or a "Solidify the Fluid to Form a Heat Sink Component" operation 203.

[0048] In FIG. 2, operations 201-203 are illustrated as being performed sequentially, with operation 201 first and operation 103 last. It will be appreciated however that these operations may be re-ordered, combined, and/or divided into additional or different operations as appropriate to suit particular embodiments. In some additional embodiments, additional operations may be added. Additionally, the described operations or portions thereof may be performed concurrently in some embodiments.

[0049] Method 200 may begin at operation 201, "Provide a Fluid Including a Polymer and Silica-Coated Nanostructures." The fluid including a polymer and silica-coated nanostructures may be any of those disclosed above with respect to method 100. For example, the fluid may be obtained by performing operations 101-103 depicted in FIG. 1. In some embodiments, a solid mixture of the polymer and the silica-coated nanostructures may be heated above the melting temperature or glass transition temperature of the polymer to obtain the fluid including the polymer and silica-coated nanostructures. Other known methods of obtaining the fluid including the polymer and silica-coated nanostructures are possible and are within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0050] Operation 201 may be followed by operation 202, "Inject the Fluid into a Mold." The fluid including the polymer and silica-coated nanostructures may be injected into a mold using various injection molding techniques. Non-limiting examples of injection molding techniques include co-injection molding, gas-assisted injection molding, injection- compression molding, lamellar injection molding, push-pull injection molding, structural foam injection molding, and thin-wall molding. As one example, the fluid including the polymer and silica-coated nanostructures may be displaced (e.g., using a pump) into a chamber within the mold.

[0051] Operation 202 may be followed by operation 203, "Solidfy the Fluid to Form a Heat Sink Component." Various methods for solidifying the fluid may be used. For example, any of the methods described above with respect to operation 104 in FIG. 1 may be used. In some embodiments, solidifying the fluid may include cooling the fluid below the polymers melting temperature or glass transition temperature.

[0052] FIG. 3 a block diagram illustrating one example of a system that is configured to control one or more operations in accordance with at least some examples of the present disclosure. For example, equipment for performing operations for the flow diagrams of FIGS. 1 and/or 2 may be included in system 300. While the equipment for performing operations for the flow diagram of FIG. 2 are shown in FIG. 3, the equipment for performing operations associated with FIG. 1 may additionally or alternatively be included in system 300.

[0053] System 300 may include a processing plant or facility 310 that is arranged in communication with a controller or processor 360. Processor or controller 360 may be the same or different controller as processor 410 described later with respect to FIG. 4. In some embodiments, processing plant or facility 310 may be adapted to communicate with controller 360 via a network connection 350. Network connection 550 may be a wireless connection or a wired connection or some combination thereof.

[0054] In some embodiments, controller 360 may be adapted to communicate operating instructions for various systems or devices in processing plant 310, which may include, for example, control of one or more operating conditions. Controller 360 may be configured to monitor or receive information from processing plant 310 and utilize the information as feedback to adjust one or more operating instructions communicated to processing plant 310.

[0055] In some embodiments, the operating conditions may be presented on a monitor or display 365 and a user may interact with a user interface (not shown) to adapt or adjust various aspects of the processing. Non-limiting examples of aspects of the process that may be presented on monitor or display 365 include time, temperature, pressure, control of delivery and/or rate of delivery of materials (e.g. , nanostructures, fluids, etc.), type of nanostructures, type of polymer or monomer, thickness of applied components, and the like. Monitor 365 may be in the form of a cathode ray tube, a flat panel screen such as an LED display or LCD display, or any other display device. The user interface may include a keyboard, mouse, joystick, write pen or other device such as a microphone, video camera or other user input device.

[0056] In some embodiments, processing facility 310 may include one or more of a mixer 320, a fluid delivery device 330, and/or a solifying device 340. In some embodiments, mixer 320 may be configured via controller 360 to provide a plurality of silica-coated nanostructures to a polymer. In some embodiments, mixer 320 may be configured via controller 360 to perform operation 101 as depicted in FIG. 1. In some embodiments, mixer 320 may be configured via controller 360 to perform operation 201 as depicted in FIG. 2. In some embodiments, mixer 320 may include a reservoir or reservoirs (not shown) containing polymer or plurality of silica-coated nanostructures. The nanostructures may be any of those described in the present disclosure.

[0057] Mixer 320 may, in some embodiments, be further configured via controller 360 to modify the surface properties of the silica-coated nanostructures. For example, the mixer may be configured to combine long-chain hydrocarbons or long-chain halogenized hydrocarbons with the silica-coated nanostructures as disclosed above to obtain hydrophobic surface properties. As another example, the mixer may be configured to combine a hydrocarbon compound having many hydrophilic functional groups, such as carboxyl groups, carbonyl groups, or hydroxyl groups, with the silica-coated nanostructures as disclosed above to obtain hydrophilic surface properties.

[0058] Mixer 320 may be configured via controller 360 to mix a polymer with silica-coated nanostructures. In some embodiments, mixer 320 may be configured via controller 360 to perform operation 102 as depicted in FIG. 1. In some embodiments, the mixer 330 may include a reservoir containing the fluid. The mixer can be, for example, a high-shear blender or a sonicator. In some examples, the controller 360 can be configured to monitor various processing metrics associated with the mixer, such as time of mix, viscosity, as well as others. Fluid delivery device 330 can be coupled with mixer 320 and controller 360, and configured via controller 360 to displace a fluidic composition from mixer 320 into a mold. In some embodiments, fluid delivery device 330 is configured via controller 360 to perform operation 202 depicted in FIG. 2. As one example, the fluid delivery device can be a pump configured to displace the fluidic composition from the mixer into a mold, where the operation of the pump can be controlled via controller 360. For example, controller 360 may communicate with fluid delivery device 330 and control when to begin displacing the fluidic composition (e.g., when mixer 320 has completed mixing). Controller 360 may also, for example, control the rate of fluid displacement and/or total amount of fluid displaced. The amount of fluid displaced may, in some embodiments, be pre-determined based on the size of the mold configured to receive the fluidic composition.

[0059] Solidifying device 340 can be coupled to controller 360 and configured via controller 360 to solidify the nanocomposite material. In some embodiments, solidifying device 340 is configured via controller 360 to perform operation 104 depicted in FIG. 1. In some embodiments, solidifying device 340 is configured via controller 360 to perform operation 203 depicted in FIG. 2. In some embodiments, the solidifying device may be configured to apply heat to the nanocomposite material. Controller 360 may control the temperature, pressure, and time period for heating the nanocomposite material. For example, solidifying device 340 may be configured via controller 360 to raise the temperature above a curing temperature of a polymer in the fluidic composition (e.g., from about 80°C to about 250°C for certain epoxies) for a time period effective to cure the nanocomposite material (e.g., from about 5 seconds to 10 minutes).

[0060] In some embodiments, the solidifying device may be configured to cool the nanocomposite material. Controller 360 may control the temperature, pressure, and time period for cooling the nanocomposite material. For example, solidifying device 340 may be configured via controller 360 to reduce or maintain the temperature below a melting temperature or glass transition temperature of a polymer in the nanocomposite material (e.g., below 40°C) for an amount of time sufficient to solidify the nanocomposite material (e.g., at least about 1 minute).

[0061] In some embodiments, the solidifying device may be configured to apply radiation (e.g., UV, gamma, or electron beam radiation). Controller 360 may control the amount and timing of the radiation applied. In some embodiments, the solidifying device may be configured to contact the silica-coated nanocomposite material with a fluid that causes curing. Controller 360 may control the amount and timing for applying the fluid that causes curing. Because the nanocomposite material may, in some embodiments, be cooled by exposure to ambient conditions, solidifying device 340 is optional.

[0062] Temperature control unit 342 can be coupled to controller 360 and configured via controller 360 to adjust the temperature of materials (e.g., one or more polymers, silica, solvent, etc.) during processing. Temperature control unit 342 may, for example, include one or more heat exchangers, heating elements, furnaces, ovens, cooling elements, and the like. Temperature control unit 342 may, in some embodiments, include one or more temperature sensors. In some embodiments, temperature control unit 342 is thermally coupled to mixer 320 and configured to adjust the temperature of materials in mixer 320. In some embodiments, temperature control unit 342 is thermally coupled to fluid delivery device 330 and configured to adjust the temperature of a fluidic composition displaced in fluid delivery device 330. In some embodiments, temperature control unit 342 is thermally coupled to solidifying device 340 and configured to adjust the temperature of a fluidic composition. For example, temperature control unit 342 may adjust the temperature of a fluidic composition below a melting temperature or a glass transition temperature of a polymer in the fluidic composition.

[0063] As one of skill in the art will recognize in light of the present disclosure, temperature control unit 342 may be integrated with one or more of mixer 320, fluid delivery device 330, and solidifying device 340. As such, temperature control unit 342 is optional. Pressure control unit 344 can be coupled to controller 360 and configured via controller 360 to adjust the pressure applied to materials during processing. Pressure control unit 344 may include, for example, one or more inlet valves, outlet valves, vacuums, and inert gas reservoirs. Pressure control unit 344 may, in some embodiments, include one or more pressure sensors. In some embodiments, pressure control unit 344 is fluidly coupled to mixer 320 and configured to adjust the pressure applied to materials in mixer 320. In some embodiments, pressure control unit 344 is fluidly coupled to fluid delivery device 330 and configured to adjust the pressure applied to a fluidic composition displaced in fluid delivery device 330. In some embodiments, pressure control unit 344 is fluidly coupled to solidifying device 340 and configured to adjust the pressure applied to a fluidic composition. For example, pressure control unit 344 may maintain the pressure applied to a fluidic composition while solidifying the fluidic composition. [0064] As one of skill in the art will recognize in light of the present disclosure, pressure control unit 344 may be integrated with one or more of mixer 320, fluid delivery device 330, and solidifying device 340. As such, pressure control unit 342 is optional.

[0065] FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating one example of a computing device that may be configured to control one or more operations in accordance with at least some examples of the present disclosure. For example, operations for the flow diagrams of FIGS. 1 and/or 2 may be performed by computing device 400 including, but not limited to, providing a fluid including a polymer and silica-coated nanostructures 423, injecting the fluid into a mold 424, and curing the fluid to form a heat sink component 425. While the operations for the flow diagram of FIG. 2 are shown, the operations associated with FIG. 1 may alternatively be performed by computing device 400. In a very basic configuration, computing device 400 typically includes one or more controllers or processors 410 and system memory 420. A memory bus 430 may be used for communicating between the processor 410 and the system memory 420.

[0066] Depending on the desired configuration, processor 410 may be of any type including but not limited to a microprocessor (μΡ), a microcontroller (μθ, a digital signal processor (DSP), or any combination thereof. Processor 410 may include one or more levels of caching, such as a level one cache 411 and a level two cache 412, a processor core 413, and registers 214. The processor core 413 may include an arithmetic logic unit (ALU), a floating point unit (FPU), a digital signal processing core (DSP Core), or any combination thereof. A memory controller 415 may also be used with the processor 410, or in some implementations the memory controller 415 may be an internal part of the processor 410.

[0067] Depending on the desired configuration, the system memory 420 may be of any type including but not limited to volatile memory (such as RAM), non-volatile memory (such as ROM, flash memory, etc.), or any combination thereof. System memory 420 typically includes an operating system 421, one or more applications 422, and program data 426. As discussed above, applications 423-425 may include, for example, providing a fluid including a polymer and silica-coated nanostructures, injecting the fluid into a mold, and curing the fluid to form a heat sink component. Program data 426 may include, for example, fluid production data and/or operating conditions data 427 that may be used by one or more of applications 423-425. [0068] Computing device 400 may have additional features or functionality, and additional interfaces to facilitate communications between the basic configuration 401 and any required devices and interfaces. For example, a bus/interface controller 440 may be used to facilitate communications between the basic configuration 401 and one or more data storage devices 450 via a storage interface bus 441. The data storage devices 450 may be removable storage devices 451, non-removable storage devices 452, or a combination thereof. Examples of removable storage and non-removable storage devices include magnetic disk devices such as flexible disk drives and hard-disk drives (HDD), optical disk drives such as compact disk (CD) drives or digital versatile disk (DVD) drives, solid state drives (SSD), and tape drives, to name a few. Example computer storage media may include volatile and nonvolatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storage of information, such as computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data.

[0069] System memory 420, removable storage 451, and non-removable storage 452 are all examples of computer storage media. Computer storage media includes, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (DVD) or other optical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that may be used to store the desired information and that may be accessed by computing device 400. Any such computer storage media may be part of device 400.

[0070] Computing device 400 may also include an interface bus 442 for facilitating communication from various interface devices (e.g., output interfaces, peripheral interfaces, and communication interfaces) to the basic configuration 401 via the bus/interface controller 440. Example output devices 460 include a graphics processing unit 461 and an audio processing unit 462, which may be configured to communicate to various external devices such as a display or speakers via one or more A/V ports 463. Example peripheral interfaces 470 include a serial interface controller 471 or a parallel interface controller 472, which may be configured to communicate with external devices such as input devices (e.g. , keyboard, mouse, pen, voice input device, touch input device, etc.) or other peripheral devices (e.g. , printer, scanner, etc.) via one or more I/O ports 473. For example, in some embodiments, fluid delivery device 465, and/or curing device 466 may be optionally connected via an I/O port and used to deposit nanostructures onto a substrate. An example communications device 480 includes a network controller 481, which may be arranged to facilitate communications with one or more other computing devices 490 over a network communication via one or more communication ports 482.

[0071] The communications connection is one example of a communication media. Communication media may typically be embodied by computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data in a modulated data signal, such as a carrier wave or other transport mechanism, and include any information delivery media. A "modulated data signal" may be a signal that has one or more of its characteristics set or changed in such a manner as to encode information in the signal. By way of example, and not limitation, communication media may include wired media such as a wired network or direct- wired connection, and wireless media such as acoustic, radio frequency (RF), infrared (IR), and other wireless media.

[0072] In some embodiments, the apparatuses and devices described herein are configured for use in conjunction with a CPU, a battery (e.g., a battery in an electric vehicle), or an LED lamp. In some embodiments, the apparatuses and devices exhibit advantages other than or in addition to improved heat dissipation. For example, in some embodiments, the apparatuses or devices reduce the weight or cost of a device in which they are used, such as the weight or cost of an electric vehicle. In some embodiments, the methods described herein allow for flexible design and injection molding of heat sinks that are suitable for various forms of LED lamps, such as bulbs, tubes, flat lamps, or backlights.

[0073] While various aspects and embodiments have been disclosed herein, other aspects and embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art having read the present disclosure. The various aspects and embodiments disclosed herein are for purposes of illustration and are not intended to be limiting, with the true scope and spirit being indicated by the following claims.

EXAMPLES

[0074] Additional embodiments are disclosed in further detail in the following examples, which are not in any way intended to limit the scope of the claims.

Example 1

[0075] A mixed solution of purified water and propanol (1/1 v/v) was prepared. 1 g of silver nanowires was added to 400 ml of the mixed solution, and ultrasonic treatment and stirring were repeated to achieve adequate dispersion. With the solution maintained at a temperature of about 50 °C, 10 ml of aqueous ammonia (28 vol %) and 1 g of aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTS) were added, and the resulting mixture was stirred for about 30 minutes. 5 g of tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) was then added, and the resulting mixture was stirred for about one hour. Through this described example process, silica coating layers were formed on the surfaces of the silver nanowires. The samples were then separated by centrifugation and dried overnight in a thermostat bath kept at a temperature of about 80 °C to obtain the intended samples.

Example 2

[0076] 60-70 parts by volume of Polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), such as RTYON PR-35 (Chevron Phillips Chemical Company LP), and 30-40 parts by volume of silica coated nanowires, such as those from Example 1, are mixed together. This composition is injected molded using standard injection molding procedures with a twin-screw extruder or injection machine (e.g., SG-50, Sumitomo Heavy Industries). The cylinder temperature for the above- mentioned injection molder can be from about 200° C to about 300° C.

[0077] The present disclosure is not to be limited in terms of the particular embodiments described in this disclosure, which are intended as illustrations of various aspects. Many modifications and variations can be made without departing from its spirit and scope, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Functionally equivalent methods and apparatuses within the scope of the disclosure, in addition to those enumerated herein, will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the foregoing descriptions. Such modifications and variations are intended to fall within the scope of the appended claims. The present disclosure is to be limited only by the terms of the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled. It is to be understood that this disclosure is not limited to particular methods, reagents, compounds compositions or biological systems, which can, of course, vary. It is also to be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only, and is not intended to be limiting.

[0078] With respect to the use of substantially any plural and/or singular terms herein, those having skill in the art can translate from the plural to the singular and/or from the singular to the plural as is appropriate to the context and/or application. The various singular/plural permutations may be expressly set forth herein for sake of clarity. [0079] It will be understood by those within the art that, in general, terms used herein, and especially in the appended claims (e.g., bodies of the appended claims) are generally intended as "open" terms (e.g., the term "including" should be interpreted as "including but not limited to," the term "having" should be interpreted as "having at least," the term "includes" should be interpreted as "includes but is not limited to," etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such an intent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence of such recitation no such intent is present. For example, as an aid to understanding, the following appended claims may contain usage of the introductory phrases "at least one" and "one or more" to introduce claim recitations. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed to imply that the introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinite articles "a" or "an" limits any particular claim containing such introduced claim recitation to embodiments containing only one such recitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases "one or more" or "at least one" and indefinite articles such as "a" or "an" (e.g., "a" and/or "an" should be interpreted to mean "at least one" or "one or more"); the same holds true for the use of definite articles used to introduce claim recitations. In addition, even if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitly recited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such recitation should be interpreted to mean at least the recited number (e.g. , the bare recitation of "two recitations," without other modifiers, means at least two recitations, or two or more recitations). Furthermore, in those instances where a convention analogous to "at least one of A, B, and C, etc." is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g. , " a system having at least one of A, B, and C" would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). In those instances where a convention analogous to "at least one of A, B, or C, etc." is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g. , " a system having at least one of A, B, or C" would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that virtually any disjunctive word and/or phrase presenting two or more alternative terms, whether in the description, claims, or drawings, should be understood to contemplate the possibilities of including one of the terms, either of the terms, or both terms. For example, the phrase "A or B" will be understood to include the possibilities of "A" or "B" or "A and B."

[0080] In addition, where features or aspects of the disclosure are described in terms of Markush groups, those skilled in the art will recognize that the disclosure is also thereby described in terms of any individual member or subgroup of members of the Markush group.

[0081] As will be understood by one skilled in the art, for any and all purposes, such as in terms of providing a written description, all ranges disclosed herein also encompass any and all possible subranges and combinations of subranges thereof. Any listed range can be easily recognized as sufficiently describing and enabling the same range being broken down into at least equal halves, thirds, quarters, fifths, tenths, etc. As a non-limiting example, each range discussed herein can be readily broken down into a lower third, middle third and upper third, etc. As will also be understood by one skilled in the art all language such as "up to," "at least," "greater than," "less than," and the like include the number recited and refer to ranges which can be subsequently broken down into subranges as discussed above. Finally, as will be understood by one skilled in the art, a range includes each individual member. Thus, for example, a group having 1-3 cells refers to groups having 1, 2, or 3 cells. Similarly, a group having 1-5 cells refers to groups having 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 cells, and so forth.

[0082] While various aspects and embodiments have been disclosed herein, other aspects and embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The various aspects and embodiments disclosed herein are for purposes of illustration and are not intended to be limiting, with the true scope and spirit being indicated by the following claims.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. A method of making a plastic nanocomposite material with high thermal conductivity, the method comprising:

providing nanostructures, wherein the thermal conductivity of the nanostructures is greater than about 100 W/Km;

coating the nanostructures with silica effective to form silica-coated nanostructures with at least one coating layer of the silica;

dispersing the silica-coated nanostructures in a fluid comprising a polymer effective to form a fluidic composition containing dispersed nanostructures; and

solidifying the fluidic composition containing dispersed nanostructures to form the plastic nanocomposite material.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein a viscosity of the fluidic composition containing dispersed nanostructures is less than about five times the viscosity of the fluid before adding the silica-coated nanostructures.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the viscosity of the fluidic composition with the dispersed nanostructures is less than about 1000 poise.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the thermal conductivity of the plastic nanocomposite material is greater than about 10 W/Km.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the thermal conductivity of the plastic nanocomposite material is greater than about 50 W/Km.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the thermal conductivity of the plastic nanocomposite material is anisotropic.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the nanostructures comprise at least one metal selected from the group consisting of silver, copper, gold, and/or aluminum.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the nanostructures comprise silver.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the nanostructures comprise at least one carbon-based material selected from the group consisting of carbon nanotubes, fullerenes, and/or diamond.

10. The method of claims 1, wherein the nanostructures comprise at least one structure selected from the group consisting of rod-shaped structures, spherical structures, cubic structures, and wire-shaped structures.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the nanostructures comprise wire-shaped structures.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the nanostructures have an aspect ratio of at least about 10.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the polymer comprises at least one material selected from the group consisting of nylon, polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), a polycarbonate, a liquid crystal polymer, and/or syndiotactic polystyrene (SPS).

14. The method of claim 1, wherein coating the nanostructures with silica to form silica-coated nanostructures comprises at least one technique selected from the group consisting of deposition, adsorption, and sol-gel synthesis.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein forming the at least one coating layer on the nanostructures comprises sol-gel synthesis.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising injecting the fluidic composition containing dispersed nanostructures into a mold prior to solidifying the fluidic composition.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising fixing hydrocarbon chains to the silica-coated nanostructures prior to dispersing the silica-coated nanostructures in the fluid.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein fixing hydrocarbon chains to the silica- coated nanostructures comprises:

mixing the silica-coated nanostructures with an anhydrous solvent to form a mixture;

adding the hydrocarbon chains to the mixture of silica-coated nanostructures and anhydrous solvent; and

heating the mixture of hydrocarbon chains, silica-coated nanostructures, and anhydrous solvent to fix the hydrocarbon chains to the surface of the silica-coated nanostructures effective to generate a hydrophobic surface on the silica-coated nanostructures.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the hydrocarbon chains comprise an oxygen or a nitrogen.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the hydrocarbon chains comprise a functional group selected from the group consisting of a carboxyl group, a carbonyl group, and a hydroxyl group.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the hydrocarbon chains are halogenized hydrocarbon chains.

22. The method of claim 1, further comprising fixing a hydrocarbon compound to the silica-coated nanostructures prior to dispersing the silica-coated nanostructures in the fluidic composition, the hydrocarbon compound comprising hydrophilic functional groups.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein fixing a hydrocarbon compound to the silica- coated nanostructures comprises:

contacting the silica-coated nanostructures with an anhydrous hydrophilic solvent in a mixture;

adding the hydrocarbon compound to the mixture of silica-coated nanostructures and anhydrous hydrophilic solvent; and

heating the mixture of the hydrocarbon compound, silica-coated nanostructures, and anhydrous hydrophilic solvent to fix the hydrocarbon compound to the surface of the silica-coated nanostructures effective to generate a hydrophilic surface on the silica-coated nanostructures.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein the hydrophilic functional groups comprise a functional group selected from the group consisting of a carboxyl group, a carbonyl group, and a hydroxyl group.

25. A method of making a heat sink device, the method comprising:

providing a fluidic composition comprising a polymer and electrically conducting filler particles, wherein the filler particles comprise nanostructures coated with at least one layer of silica;

injecting the fluidic composition into a mold; and

solidifying the molded fluidic composition effective to form the heat sink device.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the polymer comprises at least one material selected from the group consisting of nylon, polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), a polycarbonate, a liquid crystal polymer, and/or syndiotactic polystyrene (SPS).

27. The method of claim 25, wherein the nanostructures comprise at least one metal selected from the group consisting of silver, copper, gold, and/or aluminum.

28. The method of claim 25, wherein the nanostructures comprise silver.

29. The method of claim 25, wherein the nanostructures comprises at least one carbon-based material selected from the group consisting of carbon nanotubes, fullerenes, and/or diamond.

30. The method of claim 25, wherein the nanostructures comprise structures selected from the group consisting of rod- shaped structures, spherical structures, cubic structures, and wire-shaped structures.

31. The method of claim 25, wherein the nanostructures comprise wire-shaped structures.

32. The method of claim 25, wherein the silica-coated nanostructures further comprise a surface modifying agent.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the surface modifying agent is a hydrocarbon chain.

34. A fluidic composition comprising:

a polymer;

electrically conducting filler particles; and

a fluid carrier, wherein the electrically conducting filler particles comprise nanostructures coated with at least one layer of silica, wherein the thermal conductivity of the nanostructures is greater than about 100 W/Km, and wherein the viscosity of the fluidic composition is less than about 1000 poise.

35. The fluidic composition of claim 34, wherein the polymer comprises at least one material selected from the group consisting of nylon, polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), a polycarbonate, a liquid crystal polymer, and/or syndiotactic polystyrene (SPS).

36. The fluidic composition of claim 34, wherein the nanostructures comprise at least one metal selected from the group consisting of silver, copper, gold, and/or aluminum.

37. The fluidic composition of claim 34, wherein the nanostructures comprise silver.

38. The fluidic composition of claim 34, wherein the nanostructures comprise at least one carbon-based material selected from the group consisting of carbon nanotubes, fullerenes, and/or diamond.

39. The fluidic composition of claim 34, wherein the nanostructures comprise at least one of the structures selected from the group consisting of rod- shaped structures, spherical structures, cubic structures, and/or wire-shaped structures.

40. The fluidic composition claim 34, wherein the nanostructures comprise wire- shaped structures.

41. The fluidic composition of claim 34, wherein the silica-coated nanostructures further comprise a surface modifying agent.

42. The fluidic composition of claim 41, wherein the surface modifying agent is a hydrocarbon chain.

43. A plastic nanocomposite material prepared by a process, the process comprising:

coating the nanostructures with silica to form silica-coated nanostructures with at least one coating layer of the silica;

dispersing the silica-coated nanostructures in a fluid comprising a polymer to form a fluidic composition containing dispersed nanostructures; and

44. The plastic nanocomposite material of claim 43, wherein the polymer comprises at least one material selected from the group consisting of nylon, polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), a polycarbonate, a liquid crystal polymer, and/or syndiotactic polystyrene (SPS).

45. The plastic nanocomposite material of claim 43, wherein the nanostructures comprise at least one metal selected from the group consisting of silver, copper, gold, and/or aluminum.

46. The plastic nanocomposite material of claim 43, wherein the nanostructures comprise silver.

47. The plastic nanocomposite material of claim 43, wherein the nanostructures comprise at least one carbon-based material selected from the group consisting of carbon nanotubes, fullerenes, and/or diamond.

48. The plastic nanocomposite material of claim 43, wherein the nanostructures comprise at least one of the structures selected from the group consisting of rod- shaped structures, spherical structures, cubic structures, and/or wire-shaped structures.

49. The plastic nanocomposite material of claim 43, wherein the nanostructures comprise wire-shaped structures.

50. The plastic nanocomposite material of claim 43, wherein the silica-coated nanostructures further comprise a surface modifying agent.

51. The plastic nanocomposite of claim 50, wherein the surface modifying agent is a hydrocarbon chain.

52. A heat sink device comprising:

a plastic nanocomposite material comprising:

a polymer; and

electrically conducting filler particles, wherein the filler particles comprise nanostructures coated with at least one layer of silica, and wherein the plastic nanocomposite material has been injection molded to form a heat sink.

53. The heat sink device of claim 53, wherein the thermal conductivity of the heat sink is greater than about 10 W/Km.

54. The heat sink device of claim 53, wherein the thermal conductivity of the heat sink is greater than about 50 W/Km.

55. The heat sink device of claim 53, wherein the polymer comprises at least one material selected from the group consisting of nylon, polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), a polycarbonate, a liquid crystal polymer, and/or syndiotactic polystyrene (SPS).

56. The heat sink device of claims 53, wherein the nanostructures comprise at least one metal selected from the group consisting of silver, copper, gold, and/or aluminum.

57. The heat sink device of claim 53, wherein the nanostructures comprise silver.

58. The heat sink device of claims 53, wherein the nanostructures comprise at least one carbon-based material selected from the group consisting of carbon nanotubes, fullerenes, and/or diamond.

59. The heat sink device of claim 53, wherein the nanostructures comprise at least one of the structures selected from the group consisting of rod- shaped structures, spherical structures, cubic structures, and/or wire-shaped structures.

60. The heat sink device of claim 53, wherein the nanostructures comprise wire- shaped structures.

61. The heat sink device of claim 53, wherein the silica-coated nanostructures further comprise a surface modifying agent.

62. The heat sink of claim 61, wherein the surface modifying agent is a hydrocarbon chain.

63. A system adapted to form a heat sink, the system comprising:

a controller configured to execute instructions effective to facilitate making the heat sink; a mixer coupled to the controller and configured via the controller to mix a fluidic composition comprising polymers and silica-coated nanostructures;

a fluid delivery device coupled to the mixer and the controller, wherein the fluid delivery device is configured via the controller to provide a fluidic composition, the fluidic composition comprising polymers and silica-coated nanostructures; and a mold fluidly coupled to the fluid delivery device, wherein the mold is configured to receive the fluidic composition and form a heat sink.

64. The system of claim 63, wherein the fluid delivery device comprises a reservoir containing the fluid composition.

65. The system of claim 63, further comprising a curing device coupled to the controller, wherein the curing device is configured via the controller to cure the fluidic composition in the mold to form the heat sink.

66. A electronic apparatus comprising:

a processor; and a

a passive heat dissipating member thermally coupled to the processor, wherein the passive heat dissipating member comprises a polymer and silica-coated nanostructures, wherein the density of the silica coated nanostructures is substantially uniform throughout the passive heat dissipating apparatus, and wherein heat radiating from the processor is transferred to the passive heat dissipating member.

67. The apparatus of claim 66, further comprising a cooling unit.

68. The apparatus of claim 67, wherein the cooling unit is a fan.

69. The apparatus of claim 66, wherein the polymer comprises at least one material selected from the group consisting of nylon, polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), a polycarbonate, a liquid crystal polymer, and/or syndiotactic polystyrene (SPS).

70. The apparatus of claim 66, wherein the nanostructures comprise at least one metal selected from the group consisting of silver, copper, gold, and/or aluminum.

71. The apparatus of claim 66, wherein the nanostructures comprise silver.

72. The apparatus of claim 66, wherein the nanostructures comprises at least one carbon-based material selected from the group consisting of carbon nanotubes, fullerenes, and/or diamond.

73. The apparatus of claim 66, wherein the nanostructures comprise structures selected from the group consisting of rod-shaped structures, spherical structures, cubic structures, and wire-shaped structures.

74. The apparatus of claim 66, wherein the nanostructures comprise wire-shaped structures.

75. The apparatus of claim 66, wherein the silica-coated nanostructures further comprise a surface modifying agent.

76. The apparatus of claim 75, wherein the surface modifying agent is a hydrocarbon chain.