Integrated electrocaloric thermal management system with liquid metal actuation for high power-density electronics

The thermal management of next-generation high-performance computing chips is fundamentally constrained by transient extreme heat fluxes originating from heterogeneous integration and imbalanced, dynamic workloads. Solid-state cooling based on the electrocaloric effect (ECE) presents a promising alternative paradigm owing to its potential for high efficiency and rapid thermal response capabilities. However, its practical implementation is hindered by limited scalability in existing device architectures, failing to meet the thermal management requirements of next-generation high-performance computing chips with transient extreme heat fluxes. This study numerically investigates an expandable integrated solid-state refrigeration system composed of multiple modular electrocaloric units. This architecture overcomes the scalability limitation of traditional monolithic ECE refrigeration devices. The system employs a planar architecture that integrates thin-film electrocaloric materials with electromagnetic-pump-driven liquid metal flow channels, thereby reducing the heat exchange distance compared to conventional separated structures. By operating adjacent units in opposite electrocaloric phases (heating/cooling) while maintaining synchronized unidirectional fluid flow—a coordinated phase-shifted operation—the system achieves efficient inter-unit heat exchange and continuous refrigeration from the cold end to the hot end, thereby substantially shortening the cycle time required for multistage regenerative refrigeration. Via COMSOL Multiphysics simulations (based on the electrocaloric effect model and fluid-solid heat transfer coupling model) validated by experimental tests using ferroelectric polymer thin-film electrocaloric materials and liquid metal, the effects of key structural and operational parameters—including electrocaloric film thickness, liquid metal flow rate, electric field intensity, and cycle period—are systematically assessed. The results demonstrate that an excitation electric field of 125 MV/m yields a maximum coefficient of performance (COP) of 11.8, while a cycle period of 6 s and a temperature span of 2 K effectively mitigate backflow losses. The proposed planar and modular architecture directly overcomes the scalability limitation of conventional monolithic ECE refrigeration devices by enabling multi-unit phase-shifted operation and straightforward parallel or series stacking, thereby significantly enhancing practical feasibility. With optimized geometric parameters, the single electrocaloric refrigeration unit (SERU) attains a peak volumetric heat transfer power of 5.5 × 10⁵ W/m³. This work numerically demonstrates an expandable paradigm for thermal management in next-generation high-power-density electronic devices, showing the conceptual potential of a scalable cooling solution for high-performance computing, aerospace electronics, and other high-heat-flux application scenarios.