Thermal interface material with epoxidized nutshell oil

1. A thermal interface material comprising:

(a) an epoxy resin derived from nutshell oil embraced by the structures:

or

(b) an epoxidized dimer fatty acid

or

(c) both (a) and (b) and

(d) fusible metal particles substantially devoid of added lead.

2. The thermal interface material of claim 1 in which the epoxidized dimer fatty acid has the structure

3. The thermal interface material of claim 1 in which the epoxy resin derived from nutshell oil is present in an amount ranging from 2 to 30 weight percent of the total composition, and in which the epoxidized dimer fatty acid is present in an amount ranging from 2 to 30 weight percent of the total composition.

4. The thermal interface material of claim 1 , in which both the epoxy resin derived from nutshell oil and the epoxidized dimer fatty acid are present in an amount ranging from 2 to 30 weight percent of the total composition in a weight ratio of epoxy resin to epoxidized dimer fatty acid of 1:1.

5. The thermal interface material of claim 1 in which the fusible metal particles are present in an amount ranging from 40 to 95 weight percent of the total composition.

6. The thermal interface material of claim 5 in which the metal particles are selected from tin, bismuth, an alloy of tin:bismuth, indium, silver coated boron nitride, and mixtures of these.

7. The thermal interface material of claim 6 in which the alloy of tin:bismuth has a weight ratio of Sn:Bi::48:52.

8. The thermal interface material of claim 7 further comprising In, in which the In is present in a weight ratio to Sn:Bi alloy of 1:1.

9. An assembly comprising a semiconductor chip; a heat spreader; and the thermal interface material of claim 1 therebetween.

10. An assembly comprising a heat spreader; a heat sink; and the thermal interface material of claim 1 therebetween.

11. The thermal interface material of claim 1 further comprising a catalyst.