Liquid Metal Thermal Interface Longevity Testing
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At a glance
Liquid metal thermal interface longevity testing looks at how gallium-based TIMs like Conductonaut Extreme affect copper cold plates over extended use. On October 16, 2026, modder published a YouTube analysis showing the common staining is a copper-gallium peritectic reaction forming CuGa2, with thermal conductivity around 100 W/m·K and growth of about 1 µm per day up to 50-100 µm. The finding matters to the high-performance PC cooling market because it reassures users and vendors that staining is a self-limiting alloy layer rather than runaway corrosion that ruins coolers.
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Der8auer Explains Liquid Metal Staining on Copper
On October 16, 2026, overclocker Der8auer published a YouTube analysis of Thermal Grizzly's Conductonaut Extreme liquid metal, answering a customer concerned about a stained copper cold plate. With no prior testing on record, this is the first baseline for longevity.
He explains the staining as a copper-gallium peritectic reaction forming CuGa2, with conductivity around 100 watts per meter-kelvin, below copper but above liquid metal alone. The layer grows about one micron per day to 50 to 100 microns, easing fears of runaway degradation for high-performance cooling users.
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