Pastes for thermal, electrical and mechanical bonding

A hybrid paste composition, comprising:

• a nanostructured inorganic material comprising particles having a largest dimension of about 1-30,000 nanometers, and a bulk thermal transfer coefficient of at least about of about 10 W/mK, having a composition which is sinterable at a temperature below about 450° C. to form an interconnected network of the inorganic material;
• and
• at least one organic material effective for dispersing and stabilizing the particles within a flowable paste for application between surfaces prior to heating to a temperature above at least 70° C., the at least one organic material being separable from the nanostructured inorganic material under heat at temperatures below about 450° C. and compression between the surfaces;
• the hybrid paste composition being configured, after being heated to a temperature between about 70° C. and 450° C. and compressed between surfaces, to form a sintered interconnected network of sintered inorganic material between the surfaces, configured to withstand a cyclic shear stress applied between the surfaces greater than about 5 MPa without persistent change in thermal conductivity, and having at least 50% by weight inorganic material and a bulk thermal conductivity higher than about 10 W/mK.