Self-cooling film for thermal management in AI-era electronic devices
A research team led by professor Seong Kyun Kim of the Department of Physics and Chemistry at DGIST has developed a "passive cooling film material" that uses moisture in the air to cool electronic devices—no water or electricity is required.
by Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology
edited by Swati Mestri, reviewed by Alexander Pol
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Add to Preferred Sources Principle of operation of moisture-absorbing evaporative cooling materials. Credit: Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology A research team led by professor Seong Kyun Kim of the Department of Physics and Chemistry at DGIST has developed a "passive cooling film material" that uses moisture in the air to cool electronic devices—no water or electricity is required.
The technology offers a potential environmentally friendly solution to thermal management challenges in AI data centers, mobile devices and electric vehicle (EV) batteries, whose cooling consumes substantial water and electricity.
The findings are published in the journal Small Structures.
Recent advances in AI technology have driven the surge in data centers, and securing the electricity and water resources required for their thermal management has emerged as a global challenge. Likewise, mobile devices and EV batteries require technologies that can efficiently dissipate heat within confined spaces.
However, conventional active cooling methods that operate pumps or fans require electrical energy and a coolant (water), and their complex systems entail significant maintenance costs.
Accordingly, passive cooling technologies that require no external energy input—particularly evaporative cooling technologies that use airborne moisture—have emerged as an alternative. However, most conventional hygroscopic materials—that is, materials that absorb moisture—are rigid crystalline solids that do not adhere firmly to the surfaces of electronic devices and induce corrosion. These are significant limitations to their commercialization.
Kim's research team addressed these limitations by combining "nanocellulose," which has excellent moisture-storing capacity, with organic ionic molecules with robust hygroscopic properties to synthesize a flexible, adhesive film material.
The material maintains strong adhesion and flexibility even when completely dry, enabling firm, gapless adherence to various electronic device surfaces, including metals, semiconductors and glass. Even in dry environments, it absorbs and stores substantial airborne moisture, which evaporates when the device generates heat during operation, thereby lowering the surface temperature in real time.
A key advantage of the material is that it does not induce corrosion despite containing moisture, enabling direct application to device surfaces without any additional coating.
When the research team tested the film under actual conditions of continuous electronic device operation, the film consistently reduced the device's surface temperature by up to 18.2°C (from 72.3°C (162.1°F) to 54.1°C (129.4°F)) for more than 12 hours.
"The significance of this study goes beyond merely developing an environmentally friendly material. It simultaneously addresses multiple limitations of conventional passive cooling materials, including corrosiveness and insufficient flexibility and adhesion," explained Kim of the Department of Physics and Chemistry at DGIST.
Hyeondo Kim et al., All Bio‐Based Noncorrosive Hygroscopic Hydrogel Enables Passive Cooling of Electronic Devices, Small Structures (2026). DOI: 10.1002/sstr.70622 Key concepts Emerging energy and water harvesting technologies Thermal energy management materials Provided by Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology Who's behind this story? Swati Mestri Swati Mestri holds a bachelor's degree in Electronics Engineering and has worked as a content editor since 2019. She has experience editing research documents across technology, health care, and materials science, and has a particular interest in technology and space. Full profile →
PhD nano-engineering from Delft University. Published researcher and journal reviewer. Brings scientific insight to content standards. Full profile →