▷ Liquid metal thermal paste: pros and cons

It is no mystery that metals have excellent thermal properties, which means that they can conduct heat very efficiently. This has led to the emergence of liquid metal thermal pastes, which offer the best thermal conductivity on the market.

Index of contents

What is liquid metal thermal paste

You do not have to look very far to see evidence of the benefits of metal in conducting heat, since copper and aluminum are the primary elements in most heat dissipation solutions, the well-known heat sinks. However, heat sinks alone have never been effective without an interface between them and the component to be cooled to maximize heat transfer.

We recommend reading our article on Best heatsinks, fans and liquid cooling for PC

Thermal compounds have played this role for a long time, with the function of filling any gap in the interface and, for the most part, they have been made of ceramic or silicone. There are also liquid metal-based thermal compounds, which have been very popular in the past for their high thermal conductivity, but those metal-based compounds have a great inherent disadvantage, electrical conductivity.

Coollaboratory is one of the manufacturers that is most committed to the use of liquid metal. Coollaboratory has moved away from the convention a bit and created a liquid metal solution, seemingly eliminating electrical conductivity from the equation, which means it maintains all the advantages of metal but minimizes its main drawback. Coollaboratory's liquid metal thermal compound consists solely of a liquid metal alloy and non-metallic adhesives such as silicone and oxides, promising to offer the best possible thermal conductivity. Of course, this can present a risk due to its electrical conductivity, but the belief is that through careful application this will not pose a problem.

Coollaboratory is a young and innovative company established in Saxony-Anhalt (Germany). The solution of thermodynamic problems occupies a central place in corporate philosophy, as well as the development of corresponding products, which limit or solve problems. Instead, Coollaboratory focuses on the range of liquid metal alloys and the development of new or revised cooling concepts.

In the second quarter of 2005, Coollaboratory launched as the first product, the world's first liquid metal composition based heat conduction paste under the name “Coollaboratory Liquid Pro”. This was a big change from the hitherto known reference pastes, based on metal oxide and other non-metallic materials, and clearly pointed to the future. The development department of the company Coollaboratory investigates in different ranges and aims to solve the problems, partly serious, in thermodynamics with new and innovative products. Coollaboratory has a niche product intended for a large market. This type of risk is the one that opens the way to innovation and success.

Advantages of Thermal Liquid Metal Paste

The main advantage of liquid metal thermal paste is that its conductivity is much higher than other thermal compounds, which is why it is the choice when deliding processors, that is, the process of removing the IHS, cleaning the Thermal paste comes standard, and the Coollaboratory Liquid Pro liquid metal is put in place. This process helps lower the temperature in processors by up to 20ºC, opening doors to higher levels of overclocking, and reducing component wear due to overheating.

Disadvantages of liquid metal thermal paste

Among the drawbacks of liquid metal we find its electrical conductivity. Although Coollaboratory has worked hard to minimize it, it still exists, so the application of the Coollaboratory Liquid Pro must be very careful. This thermal compound must spread very well, forming a very thin film on the die of the processor, so that when replacing the IHS it does not spill over the sides. If some liquid metal falls where it shouldn't, it can cause a short circuit that will ruin the processor.

Another drawback of liquid metal is that it cannot be used with nickel-plated copper or aluminum-based heatsinks since a weld is formed with these surfaces and then the heatsink cannot be easily removed. Therefore caution must be exercised, and only liquid metal should be used with heat sinks having a pure copper base.

This ends our article on Liquid Metal Thermal Paste: Pros and Cons. Remember that the application of this type of compound has many advantages, but it is also a process that must be done with great care, so it is better to ask someone with experience to use it.