Why does thermal resistance affect the performance of thermally conductive materials?

Most of the thermally conductive materials sold on the market indicate that they can effectively reduce thermal resistance and improve heat dissipation efficiency. In fact, thermal resistance is generally considered to be contact thermal resistance. There is a gap between surfaces, and the greater the resistance to heat passing through, the heat transfer. Therefore, the purpose of the thermal conductive material is to reduce the contact thermal resistance between the two, improve the heat conduction efficiency, and thus improve the overall cooling effect.

In addition to the contact thermal resistance, the thermally conductive material itself also has thermal resistance. When the heat is transferred from one side of the thermally conductive material to the other side, the rate is reduced by the resistance of the thermally conductive material itself, just like a water pipe. If there is a lot of scale in the water pipe, the water flow Under its influence, its speed will be slowed down. In the same way, there is less scale in the water pipe, and the water flow can flow smoothly. Therefore, we will see the same type of thermally conductive material. The thermally conductive material with low thermal resistance will have better thermal conductivity. It is also the reason why thermal resistance affects the performance of thermally conductive materials.