Presently, the main mode of heat transfer is through conduction to a metal surface which then dissipates the heat to the air. Such devices are normally called “heat sinks” Many high tech computers employ the use of cooling fluids that circulate in the metal heat sink to more quickly transfer the heat away from the computer chip. These devices, normally made of metal and thus rigid, must be machined to the surface of the heat source, and many times are required to be flat due to the expense of conforming to a surface.
Interconnected porous polymer structures have been under development for many years. For example, certain porous materials have been developed for microfluidic mixing, where a porous polymer material with an encapsulating skin is created, whereupon fluid inlets and outlets are positioned. See, for example, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2008/0094937, incorporated herein expressly by reference. Therein, fluids are introduced into one or more inlets, which then pass into an interconnected porous structure where turbulence is created. By the time the fluid exits the outlet, the fluids are thoroughly mixed.