Recent advances for thermal management of electronic devices: A state-of-the-art review
Abstract
Efficient thermal management of heat sinks is crucial for their optimization, resulting in an improvement of thermal performance. This review first summarizes conventional techniques that are widely used in the literature for cooling heat sinks, including air-based, PCM-based, nano PCM-based, PCM/heat pipe-based, PCM/porous foam-based, and nanofluid-based cooling. Secondly, this review discusses recent and advanced techniques that have been investigated by different authors in the literature for optimizing thermal performance in heat sinks, where these are highlighted for the first time in this review. These techniques include ultrasonic waves-based thermal management, hybrid thermal management, encapsulated PCM-based thermal management, micro-channels, jet impingement, spray cooling, boiling heat transfer, vapor chamber, and some others. The current status of research related to electronic system cooling is also presented in the current review, with a focus on studies conducted around the globe. Lastly, some challenges and future directions are also highlighted in the review study, providing valuable insights to researchers regarding thermal management of electronics systems and related fields.
Keywords
Advanced cooling techniques, conventional cooling techniques, electronics cooling, heat sinks, phase change materials, thermal management
Document Type
Journal Article
Date of Publication
7-1-2026
Volume
234
Publication Title
Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews
Publisher
Elsevier
School
School of Engineering
Copyright
subscription content
Comments
Hassan, F., Jamil, F., & Baig, T. (2026). Recent advances for thermal management of electronic devices: A state-of-the-art review. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 234, 116881. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2026.116881