Design and development of thermally conductive hybrid nano‐composites in polysulfone matrix

Abstract

A percolating network of hybrid fillers can provide significant synergic enhancement of thermal conductivity in polymer matrix composites. Especially, when platelets and fibers of high aspect ratios are mixed to form a percolating network, the percolation thresholds are small. However, the optimum ratio of platelets to fibers must be acquired for the maximum synergic enhancement. In this work, polysulfone (PSU) matrix‐hybrid fillers composite is designed with high thermal conductivity using a computational model. The calibration of computational model with several experimentally measured thermal conductivities of polymer matrix‐hybrid nanocomposites leads to the composition where maximum synergic effect/maximum thermal conductivity is expected. For the specific PSU–Graphene nano‐platelets (GNPs)/Carbon nano‐tubes (CNTs) hybrid composites synthesized in this study, the composition with maximum thermal conductivity as designed by the model is PSU/8.4% GNPs/1.6% CNTs. The samples produced experimentally around this composition have shown close agreement with the predictions of the model. Sensitivity analyses and parametric studies conducted on the model highlight that the dimensional parameters and the interface resistance of the fillers are the most sensitive to enhance the effective thermal conductivity. POLYM. COMPOS., 40:1419–1432, 2019. © 2018 Society of Plastics Engineers

An Integrated Approach to Design and Develop High-Performance Polymer-Composite Thermal Interface Material

“…The author and his co-workers have previously reported [ 22 , 29 ] that the particle size and thermal interface resistance between the matrix and filler are the dominant and most sensitive parameters in controlling the effective thermal conductivity of a particular single and hybrid filler polymer composite. These two parameters play a major role in controlling the effective thermal conductivity of the composite through a non-dimensional parameter α k as defined in Equation (11), also called the effect of Kaptiza radius, where the particle’s radius ( a k ) is the decision-making parameter.…”

“…Different extensions of Nan’s Model [ 20 ] have been previously reported by the author and his co-workers [ 22 , 23 ]. The original model and its extensions apply to a wide range of filler particle shapes, but these models are limited to dilute concentrations of fillers.…”

“…Nan et al [ 20 ] published an effective medium theory considering aspect ratio and orientation of the fillers with the assumption of regularly shaped ellipsoid fillers and dilute concentrations. Afterward, their model was modified by Siddiqui et al [ 21 ] and Raza et al [ 22 ] for nonuniformly distributed dilute hybrid fillers and percolating dilute hybrid fillers, respectively. The original Nan’s model and its extensions apply to a wide range of filler particle shapes, but these models are restricted to dilute concentrations of fillers.…”

Computational design and development of high-performance polymer-composites as new encapsulant material for concentrated PV modules

“…4 that a PDMS as a matrix and ZrO 2 or SiO 2 as a filler are not recommended keeping in view the fact that a very high filler loading would be required to reach the target effective TC of 0.75 Wm −1 K −1 . On the contrary, the other fillers can provide nearly equal improvement in TC due to the converging effect of k f 34,35 . The same converging effect due to the large difference between the properties of matrices and fillers has been explained in the discussion of CTE and G ∞ above.…”

“…model. It is discussed in detail by Raza et al 34 that two of the most sensitive parameters affecting the TC in polymer composites are the interface thermal resistance and the particle size of the fillers. These parameters play their role in the estimation of effective TC through a parameter α defined by Eq.…”