High-performance multi-morphology porous wick fabricated using a composite pore former

High-performance porous wicks have a promising potential in loop heat pipe (LHP). Hence, this work proposes a novel composite pore former comprising NaCl and g-C3N4 for fabricating high-performance multi-morphology porous wicks that generate better-communicating pores with different sizes and shapes inside the wicks. The synergistic effect of these pores increases the wicks' porosity, reduces flow resistance, and maintains a sufficient capillary force, enabling the multi-morphology porous wicks to exhibit high comprehensive performance. Moreover, the LHP with a wick has an ultralow thermal resistance of 0.133 °C/W and can dissipate up to 260 W of heat load at a chip temperature below 85 °C. The new LHP exhibits exceptional anti-gravity performance, effectively commencing operation with an ultralow heat load of 1 W at a maximum anti-gravity angle of 60°. Furthermore, it achieves an ultimate heat load of 400 W at 30°. Hence, the multi-morphology porous wick demonstrates a great potential for application in LHPs with lightweight and simple preparation advantages. Overall, this study lays a promising pathway for electronic equipment cooling systems. •A novel composite pore former composed of NaCl and g-C3N4 is proposed.•Composite pore formers simplify the process of fabricating multi-morphology porous wicks.•Multi-morphology pore structure balance the capillary suction and flow resistance.•Multi-morphology porous wicks offer light weight and excellent anti-gravity performance.•The LHP with wicks can dissipate 260 W with a minimum thermal resistance of 0.133 °C/W.