TechMark Arena 2026 is a transdisciplinary master thesis school where the students work on projects within the scope of DCC research. TechMark Arena 2026 focuses on the topic of Electrification of pulp and wood components.
We asked our students to write about themselves and their research. Here is Sabit Akbar Biruni.
Can Paper Conduct Heat and Manage Thermal Issues?
Every time we hold a smartphone that feels warm after a long video call, or notice a laptop fan kicking in during a heavy workload, we are experiencing the same underlying thermal challenge. Managing that heat is becoming one of the defining engineering problems of our time. As devices shrink and power densities rise, thermal management is no longer just a performance issue, but also a sustainability issue. Today, the dominant solutions rely on materials like aluminum, copper, and synthetic polymers. They work well, but they come with baggage: reliance on fossil resources and end-of-life challenges.
A Material Looking for Its Moment
When most people think of paper, they think of something to write on or wrap gifts with. Thermal conductivity is probably not the first property that comes to mind. But by incorporating thermally conductive fillers, such as boron nitride, into a cellulose fiber matrix, it is possible to engineer a paper-like material that transfers heat more effectively than conventional paper. The cellulose itself is renewable, biodegradable, and already produced at an enormous industrial scale.
This development has attracted the attention of many researchers, who are conducting experiments to find the best composition for making it. However, sometimes there is a difference between a material that works in a lab and a product that works in the real world. Bridging that gap requires more than technical ingenuity. It requires understanding costs, production realities, and market context. That gap is where my thesis set out to fill.
Bridging Technology and Market
My name is Sabit Biruni, and I am currently conducting my master’s thesis as part of the TechMark Arena 2026 project at RISE. My research aims to investigate the potential for scaling the adoption of bio-based thermally conductive paper as an emerging product innovation. The study applies an early-stage techno-economic assessment (TEA) to evaluate potential production pathways and cost drivers to support product development decisions.
A TEA is a structured early-stage methodology for estimating production costs, identifying the key cost drivers, and proposing manufacturing pathways before large amounts of capital and development time are committed. My thesis is designed to surface key uncertainties, not to replace the experimental work that needs to happen alongside it. The goal is to provide a starting point for the innovators and investors who will carry this material forward so that decisions made today don’t close off the most promising paths tomorrow.
What This Project Means
I chose this master’s thesis because I wanted to bridge the gap between emerging bio-based materials and real-world product development. This gap between innovation and the market has been of interest to me since my studies in Innovation Management and Product Development at KTH. What I hope my thesis contributes is a clearer sense of which cost levers are worth pulling and which assumptions need to be tested before this product moves further. Being part of an early conversation about how to bring something like this to market, even at a master’s thesis level, felt meaningful.
/Sabit Akbar Biruni, KTH Master’s Student