Applications, Manufacturing and Thermal Characteristics of Micro-Lattice Structures: Current State of the Art

Micro-lattice structures are emerging as multi-functional devices. They possess excellent heat transfer capabilities, energy absorption abilities, vibration control abilities, etc. The higher surface area to volume ratio of micro-lattice structures makes them suitable for heat transfer applications where compact and lightweight heat transfer mechanism is necessary such as in case of space and transportation. The heat transfer and mechanical load-bearing properties of micro-lattice structures can be tailored by altering several parameters such as the lattice strut angle, node-to-node spacing, the diameter of the strut, etc. In this paper, micro-lattice structures, their manufacturing methods, applications are reviewed and a passive heat transfer mechanism consisting of micro-lattice heat pipe is proposed for the battery thermal management system in electric vehicles