Thermal interface materials

A method of making a thermal interface material, the method comprising the steps of:

• forming a stack comprising a plurality of layers, wherein:
• each layer comprises a base material, and a filler material comprising anisotropically oriented thermally conductive elements;
• where the anisotropically oriented thermally conductive elements are oriented in a first direction;
• each layer extends from a bottom surface to a top surface along a vertical direction, and the layers are stacked in said vertical direction;
• applying force to the stack to compress the stack along the vertical direction;
• slicing the stack along a plane extending in the vertical direction and transverse to the top and bottom surfaces of the layers to form a sheet;
• wherein said thermally conductive elements are oriented to preferentially promoted thermal flow in directions transverse to the vertical direction;
• and
• wherein the sheet extends between a first major surface and a second major surface, and comprises a portion of the base material and the filler material comprising anisotropically oriented thermally conductive elements that are preferentially oriented along a primary direction from the first major surface towards the second major surface to promote thermal conduction though the sheet along the primary direction;
• where the primary direction is perpendicular to the first direction.