Although thermal conductive silicone grease and thermal conductive silicone gel have only one word difference, their functional characteristics are vastly different. Thermal conductive silicone grease is a grease like substance that lacks adhesion and cannot dry and solidify. It has good thermal conductivity and insulation properties. Thermal conductive silicone gel is a single component dealcoholized room temperature cured silicone rubber that has cooling and bonding effects on electronic devices. Let’s take a closer look at the difference between thermal conductive silicone grease and thermal conductive silicone gel with ELAPLUS!
Thermal conductive silicone grease and thermal conductive silicone gel
The difference between thermal conductive silicone grease and thermal conductive silicone gel: Different characteristics
- Thermal conductive silicone grease
Thermal conductive silicone grease, also known as silicone paste, is a grease like substance that lacks adhesive properties and does not dry out. It is produced using a special formula and is composed of metal oxides with good thermal conductivity and insulation properties, compounded with organosiloxane. The product has good thermal conductivity, good electrical insulation, a wide range of operating temperatures (working temperature -60 ℃~300 ℃), good stability, low viscosity, and good construction performance. This product is non-toxic, non corrosive, odorless, non drying, and insoluble. Silicone grease is used for lubrication and can be applied under high loads. Its appearance is similar to butter, and we generally have less contact with it. - Thermal conductive silicone
Thermal conductive silicone is a single component dealcoholized room temperature cured silicone rubber that has cooling and bonding effects on electronic devices. It can be cured into a high hardness elastomer in a short period of time. After curing, it closely adheres to the contact surface to reduce thermal resistance, which is beneficial for the heat source to conduct heat to the surrounding heat sink, motherboard, metal shell, and outer shell. It has the advantages of high thermal conductivity, good insulation performance, and ease of use. It has good adhesion to metals including copper, aluminum, stainless steel, etc. The curing form is dealcoholized, and it does not corrode metal and non-metal surfaces. - The difference between thermal conductive silicone grease and thermal conductive silicone gel 2: different composition
- The thermal conductive silicone grease we usually refer to should be called silicone paste, which consists of silicone oil and filler. The filler is finely ground powder, composed of ZnO/Al2O3/boron nitride/silicon carbide/aluminum powder, etc. Silicone oil ensures a certain degree of fluidity, while fillers fill the tiny gaps between the CPU and the heat sink, ensuring thermal conductivity. Due to the low temperature sensitivity of silicone oil, it does not thicken at low temperatures, does not become thinner at high temperatures, and does not evaporate, so it can be used for a relatively long time. Some thermal conductive silicone grease now uses silver or aluminum powder as fillers, taking advantage of the high thermal conductivity of metals.
- Thermal conductive silicone refers to a type of silicone gel formed by adding specific conductive fillers on the basis of silicone rubber. This type of adhesive generally includes thermal conductive silicone adhesive, thermal conductive silicone potting material, as well as thermal conductive silicone sheets and pads that have been vulcanized into a certain shape. The thermal conductivity of different thermal conductive silicone materials varies greatly. The cost price difference is also significant.
The difference between thermal conductive silicone grease and thermal conductive silicone gel three: different application points
Although silicone grease and silicone are only one word apart in literal meaning and both are thermal conductive materials, they are completely different things. Relatively speaking, silicone grease has a wider range of applications and is almost suitable for any heat dissipation condition; Due to the difficulty in removing silicone once it is attached, it is mostly used in situations where only one-time bonding is required, such as the heat sink of a graphics card.
Thermal conductive silicone is much lower than thermal conductive silicone grease, and once cured, it is difficult to separate the bonded object. It is generally only used for graphics cards and memory heat sinks. If used on a CPU, it can cause overheating and it is difficult to remove the heat sink. Pulling it down forcefully may directly damage the CPU or CPU socket. If you forcefully pull down the silicone bonded graphics card heat sink, it is possible to remove the display chip from the PCB.
In heat dissipation and conduction applications, even two surfaces with very smooth surfaces will have gaps when they come into contact with each other. The air in these gaps is a poor conductor of heat, which will hinder the conduction of heat to the heat sink. Thermal conductive silicone grease is a material that can fill these gaps, making heat conduction smoother and faster. There are many types of silicone grease on the market now, and different parameters and physical characteristics determine their different uses. For example, some are suitable for CPU heat conduction, some are suitable for memory heat conduction, and some are suitable for power supply heat conduction.
The above is the difference between thermal grease and thermal silicone shared by ELAPLUS. I believe everyone has a better understanding of this. Although there is a word difference between the two, using them incorrectly can also affect our work process. Therefore, everyone must choose according to different needs. For more knowledge and popularization of adhesive knowledge, please continue to follow the official website of Yilian~
Label: thermal conductive gel · thermal conductive silica gel · thermal conductive silicone grease · thermal conductive silica gel
