A joint research team led by professors Seunghyun Baik and Joonmyung Choi from the School of Mechanical Engineering at Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU) has developed a new nanocomposite material whose electrical and thermal conductivities increase as it is stretched. The team successfully applied it to stable heat dissipation for foldable phones.

The research is published in Advanced Functional Materials.

Smartphones and electronic devices generate significant heat during operation, which can cause performance throttling or shorten device lifespan if not properly cooled. Next-generation flexible electronics that bend or stretch face particular challenges because heat cannot easily escape during deformation. Typically, stretching a material increases the distance between embedded particles, which reduces both thermal and electrical conduction. However, the research team designed a material that overturns this conventional understanding.