Phase change thermal-sink apparatus

1. A thermal sink cooling cartridge, comprising:

a base container having a bottom surface, an opening, and exterior side walls extending between the bottom surface and the opening and tapering outwardly from the bottom surface to the opening, said bottom surface and exterior side walls forming an outermost exterior surface of the fully-assembled thermal sink cooling cartridge, said bottom surface further comprising an expansion panel configured to expand in response to an increased pressure within the base container to maintain overall exterior dimensions of the thermal sink cooling cartridge in use;

a thermoconductive cover having an undersurface coupled to and enclosing the opening of the base container and adapted to provide a thermally conductive interface between the thermal sink cooling cartridge and an external object placed on the thermoconductive cover in direct contact and to be maintained at a desired cooled temperature;

a fluid tight seal interposed between the opening and the thermoconductive cover; and

a phase change material comprising an aqueous material having a liquid phase and a solid phase, the solid phase being buoyant within the liquid phase, said phase change material entirely filling the base container in both the liquid and solid phases such that the phase change material is in continuous contact with the undersurface of the thermoconductive cover, wherein solidification of the aqueous medium induces the increased pressure within the base container.

2. The cartridge of claim 1 , further comprising a molded feature in contact with the phase change material, the cartridge comprising a volume which reduces in response to the increased pressure to allow for expansion of the phase change material.

3. The cartridge of claim 1 , wherein the thermoconductive cover is composed of a thermoconductive material selected from the group consisting of aluminum, copper, silver, an aluminum alloy, a copper alloy, a silver alloy, a titanium alloy, stainless steel, and a magnesium alloy.

4. The cartridge of claim 1 , further comprising a temperature sensitive strip coupled to an outer surface of the thermoconductive cover.

5. The cartridge of claim 1 , further comprising a contact surface to facilitate handling of the cartridge, wherein the contact surface comprises a portion of at least one of the expandable base container and the thermoconductive cover.

6. The cartridge of claim 1 , wherein the phase change material is selected from the group consisting of water, purified water, and water containing an additive selected from the group consisting of glycerol, a salt, polyethylene glycol, an alcohol, a simple sugar, a complex sugar, and a starch.

7. The cartridge of claim 1 , wherein the fluid tight seal is selected from a group consisting of an adhesive, a silicone-based adhesive, a compressed gasket, an o-ring, a compression band, a clamp, a crimped seal, a fusion weld, and a rim channel molded into a base portion of the expandable base container.

8. The cartridge of claim 1 , further comprising at least one of a ridge, a groove, a peg, a hole, a texture, a feature, a protrusion, an encasement, and an indent to accommodate or receive an external object.

9. The cartridge of claim 8 , wherein the external object is at least one of a biological sample, an organic material, an inorganic material, a food, dry ice, an electronic component, an automated machine, a stand, a refrigeration device, a computer chip, a sample tray, a sample tube, a container, an adapter for a container, and a sample rack.

10. The cartridge of claim 1 , wherein the cartridge further comprises an external surface for compatibly receiving a storage housing.

11. The cartridge of claim 10 , wherein the storage housing is composed of an insulating material selected from the group consisting of polyethylene foam, polypropylene foam, styrene foam, urethane foam, and evacuated containers.

12. The cartridge of claim 1 , further comprising one or more ports that are used to access an interior of the expandable base container to add, modify, or replace said phase change material.

13. The cartridge of claim 1 , wherein the expandable base container is composed of a material selected from the group consisting of polyethylene and polypropylene polymers.

14. The cartridge of claim 10 wherein the storage housing is a shipping container.

15. The cartridge of claim 1 , wherein at least one magnet is attached to the thermally conductive cover.

16. The cartridge of claim 1 , wherein the phase change material comprises an antimicrobial material.

17. The cartridge of claim 2 , wherein the molded feature is a compressible element.

18. A thermal sink cooling cartridge, comprising:

a base container having a bottom surface, an opening, and exterior side walls extending between the bottom surface and the opening, said bottom surface and exterior side walls forming an outermost exterior surface of the fully-assembled thermal sink cooling cartridge, the base container further having an internal volume, and at least one of the bottom surface and the exterior side walls being configured to flex outwardly to provide an increased internal volume of the base container;

a thermoconductive cover having an undersurface and enclosing the opening of the expandable base container and adapted to provide a thermally conductive interface between the thermal sink cooling cartridge and an external object placed on the thermoconductive cover in direct contact and to be maintained at a desired cooled temperature;

a fluid tight seal interposed between the opening and the thermoconductive cover; and

a phase change material having a liquid phase and a solid phase, said phase change material entirely filling the internal and increased internal volumes in both the liquid and solid phases, respectively, such that said phase change material is in continuous contact with the undersurface of the thermoconductive cover, the liquid phase comprising a first volume equal to the internal volume, and the solid phase comprising a second volume that is equal to the increased internal volume.