Design, optimization, and fabrication of a leaf-inspired roll-bond large-area vapor chamber for thermal performance enhancement

With the increasing energy consumption of electronic devices in aerospace and other fields, vapor chambers (VCs), which offer high thermal conductivity, thin profiles, and excellent temperature uniformity, have emerged as an effective solution to current heat dissipation challenges. In this work, flow channel features of leaf veins were extracted and simulation-based optimization was applied to design a bio-inspired gas–liquid channel. Utilizing a comprehensive design theory for gas–liquid separation channels and an innovative aluminum roll-bond process, an aluminum-based leaf-inspired vapor chamber (ALVC) was fabricated (covering an area of 174,000 mm 2 and a maximum thickness of only 2.06 mm). Experimental investigations were conducted to examine the effects of different inclination angles, filling ratios, and cooling temperatures on the heat transfer performance of the ALVC. The results revealed that the leaf vein channel structure enabled unidirectional enhancement of gas–liquid transport efficiency. At a 90° inclination, the ALVC achieved a maximum power output of 300 W, with a thermal resistance as low as 0.022°C/W and an equivalent thermal conductivity of up to 43,188 W/(m·K). Furthermore, the cost-effective, lightweight design, and efficient large-area heat dissipation capabilities of the ALVC demonstrate significant potential for applications in fields such as aerospace.