Factors affecting carbon nanotube fillers towards enhancement of thermal conductivity in polymer nanocomposites: A review

Abstract

Thermally conductive polymer composites have opened up new possibilities in various applications including solar cells, power generators, electronics, biomedical applications, etc. Polymer matrices have some interesting advantages to offer such as being lightweight, cost effective, corrosion resistant, and many more. However, the thermal conductivity of a polymer matrix is relatively low for some commercial applications. Recent research has focused on enhancing the thermal conductivity of polymer composites through addition of nanofillers such as nanotubes, graphite, carbon fibers, etc. Among these possibilities, carbon nanotubes are considered to be promising candidates due to their unusually high thermal conductivity. This article discusses the properties of nanotube fillers that should be taken into account in order to fabricate a thermally conductive polymer nanocomposite and reviews the status of research in terms of thermal conductivity and nanotubes.

Fabrication, Functionalization, and Application of Carbon Nanotube-Reinforced Polymer Composite: An Overview

“…CNTs with a thermal conductivity an average of 10-fold lower than metals/ceramics have shown great success as good thermal insulators [ 90 ]. Furthermore, additional physical characteristics in terms of their light weight, cost-effectiveness, and corrosion resistance are very importance in the future trend of nanocomposite technology [ 176 ]. Interestingly, these characteristics can be envisioned as new possibilities for various applications of their thermal properties such as thermal interface materials, heat sinks, printed circuit boards, connectors, and other high-performance thermal management systems [ 90 ].…”

“…Markers for the prediction of higher thermal conductivity based on polymer morphology have been widely investigated, and it has been shown that more defects at the crystalline structures, the lower the intrinsic thermal conductivity of the crystal. This leads to phonon scattering, which is known to shorten the mean free path that finally reduced the thermal conductivity [ 176 ]. The morphology of CNT reinforced polymer composites significantly affect thermal properties.…”

A review of the interfacial characteristics of polymer nanocomposites containing carbon nanotubes

“…395,396 Consequently, it has become a major issue how to benet from the optimization of the interface through the chemical functionalization of carbon nanotubes without any noticeable loss of the intrinsic thermal properties of the ller. While great achievements have been made in this eld, 397,398 how to maximize the benets derived from the intrinsic thermal properties of carbon nanotubes for polymer nanocomposite materials is still a major challenge.…”

Recent developments of carbon based nanomaterials and membranes for oily wastewater treatment

“…Many researchers have reported the benecial advantages of adding CNTs to polymeric membranes. These include increased hydrophilicity and oleophobicity, 35 improved thermal, 36 electrical, 37 and mechanical 3 properties of the composite membranes. CNTs as nanoller in polymer matrix have attracted a great deal of attention because of their high specic surface area, easy functionalization, chemical stability and proper compatibility.…”