Flexible Fiber Membrane Based on Carbon Nanotube and Polyurethane with High Thermal Conductivity

Abstract

The development of high thermally conductive polymer composites with low filler content remains challenging in the field of thermal interface materials (TIMs). Herein, we fabricated a series of flexible fiber membranes (TMMFM) with high thermally conductive based on thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) and acidified multiwalled carbon nanotubes (a-MWCNTs) via electrospinning and ultrasonic anchoring method. The SEM and TEM results demonstrated that the a-MWCNTs aligned along the fiber orientation in the membrane and anchored on the membrane surface strongly, which can establish the heat conduction path both in the horizontal and vertical directions. With the incorporation of 10 wt% a-MWCNTs, the horizontal direction (λ∥) and vertical direction (λ⊥) thermal conductivity value of TMMFM-5 was 3.60 W/mK and 1.79 W/mK, respectively, being 18 times and 10 times higher compared to pure TPU fiber membranes. Furthermore, the TMMFM maintained favorable flexibility of the TPU matrix because the small amount of a-MWCNTs only slightly hinders the mobility of the TPU molecular chain. The performance of the obtained TMMFM unveils their potential as a promising choice of flexible TIMs.

Polyphenylene oxide/boron nitride–alumina hybrid composites with high thermal conductivity, low thermal expansion and ultralow dielectric loss

“…[16][17][18][19][20][21][22] There are three primary methods for the preparation of high thermal conductivity composites. The first method involves adding a single filler, including spherical fillers [23][24][25] such as spherical Al 2 O 3 and SiO 2 , whisker-shaped fillers 26,27 like carbon nanotubes (CNTs), and boron nitride (BN) nanotubes, and sheet-like fillers 28,29 such as sheet-like BN. However, using a single filler often requires high loading to achieve the required performance, which can lead to a loss of mechanical properties, deteriorated processibility, and high production costs.…”

Three‐dimensional skeleton assembled by nickel foam/silicon carbide as filler in polyurethane composites with high thermal conductivity and electrical insulation

“…[6][7][8] Polyurethane has a number of advantages, including light weight, excellent thermal and chemical stability, and high-quality insulation, which is why it is widely used in electronic packaging. 9,10 However, its thermal conductivity remains relatively low, posing a challenge for meeting the increasing need for heat dissipation. 11 Incorporating inorganic filler particles into materials can significantly improve their thermal conductivity, notable examples being graphene, 12,13 graphite, 14 boron nitride, [15][16][17] silicon carbide (SiC), 18 and so on.…”

“…Polymer‐based composites have numerous benefits, including good processing capabilities, insulation, and economical manufacturing costs, and thus present significant potential as thermal management materials for electronic equipment 6–8 . Polyurethane has a number of advantages, including light weight, excellent thermal and chemical stability, and high‐quality insulation, which is why it is widely used in electronic packaging 9,10 . However, its thermal conductivity remains relatively low, posing a challenge for meeting the increasing need for heat dissipation 11 .…”

Flexible thermal conductive Al2O3@siloxane composite with rapid self-healing property based on carboxyl-amine dynamic reversible bonds

“… 4,5 However, the thermal conductivity of PDMS is only about 0.2 W mK −1 , so it is often necessary to fill with thermal conductive fillers to increase the thermal conductivity. Metal materials such as Ag, 6,7 Cu 8 and carbon materials including graphite, 9,10 graphene, 11,12 carbon nanotubes 13,14 with high electrical conductivity have been reported as fillers to increase the thermal conductivity of the polymer-composites. Ceramic materials such as AlN, 15 BN, 16,17 Al 2 O 3 18,19 have not only good thermal conductivity, but also good electrical insulation and excellent thermal stability.…”