Influence of the Diamond Surface Termination on the Thermal Conductivity of Al/Diamond- and Ag/Diamond MMCs
MMCs consisting of diamonds and highly conductive metal matrices have been produced via gas pressure assisted liquid metal infiltration and their thermal properties have been investigated. Special attention was paid towards the diamond surface termination and its influence on the diamond-metal-interface and the resulting heat transport across this interface. Altering the diamond terminating surface layer can lead to a rather drastic increase in the thermal conductivity, rendering MMCs with pretreated diamonds double the thermal conductivity of the ones with as-received diamonds. The evolution of those terminating layers with different pretreatment conditions and their influence on the thermal conductivity of the resulting MMCs is rather complex and an ever-growing field of interest for diamond heat sink materials.The observed thermal properties of the MMCs produced in this study will be linked with the established diamond surface termination and will demonstrate the potential that lies within the method of diamond surface modification.