For the effective use of liquid metal composites (LMCs) in soft, stretchable, and thermal systems, understanding and predicting their thermal conductivity based on liquid metal (LM) volume fraction and applied strain is essential. This study explores the effective thermal conductivity of LMCs using various mean-field homogenization methods, such as Eshelby, Mori–Tanaka, differential, and double inclusion techniques. The double inclusion model provided the most accurate predictions across a wide range of LM volume fractions. Notably, theoretical models assuming ideal LM dispersion and zero interfacial resistance underestimated thermal conductivity in low volume fractions compared to experimental results. By considering variations in LM inclusion aspect ratios under typical size distributions (~μm), we predicted changes in effective thermal conductivity under a 300% uniaxial tensile strain. Our findings enhance the understanding of LMC thermal properties and support the future design of stretchable thermal interfaces and packaging. -Scientific Journal cover design by scapiens

https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2020/sm/d0sm00279h#fn1