What surface treatment should be applied to heatsinks?
A5: Many heatsinks are black or color anodized. This is because of two reasons. 1.) It allows for the dark color to enhance the radiation effects and 2.) It protects the aluminum in harsh environments. Salt exposure is a good example. It is unnecessary in most electronic applications other than natural convection. Gold or yellow chromate is also used to provide surface protection. It adds little or no radiation benefits.
