A Study on Correlation Between Elastic Deformation and Thermal Performance of Flexible Carbon Heater

Printed carbon heater is one of most attractive alternatives to copper wire seat heater because of its uniform heat generation and trouble-free operation regardless of partial damage. Its superior characteristics such as low power consumption and rapid response induced a lot of research on carbon materials and its thermal performance. However, in contrast to the commercialization potential, application field related researches are not active yet. To apply a printed heater in a car seat, suitable elasticity is required without loss of thermal performance. Therefore, it needs to study on the correlation between deformation and electrical and structural characteristics.
In this study, we investigated relationship between elastic deformation and characteristics of carbon heater. Carbon heaters used in this study were screen printed on flexible polymer substrates of different elastic modulus. The carbon paste used to print the heater was made of graphite and amide functionalized MwCNT blended with polyester resin. The change of microstructure, electrical characteristics, and adhesion stability were analyzed in connection with the heater performance while increasing the deformation up to the elastic limit. Based on the analysis, we will discuss on critical factors determining the performance of flexible carbon heater under elastic deformation.

This research was financially supported by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) and Korea Institute for Advancement of Technology (KIAT) through the Promoting Regional Specialized Industry