Improved thermal conductivity of epoxy composites prepared with a mixed filler of multiwalled carbon nanotubes and aluminum nitride particles

Abstract

The thermal conductive filler/epoxy resin (EP) composites were prepared by a casting method. The effects of the multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), aluminum nitride (AlN) particles, and their compounds on the microstructure and thermal conductivity of the composites were investigated, in addition to the thermal properties. The results indicated that compounds of MWCNTs and AlN particles exhibited a remarkable synergistic effect to improve the thermal conductivity properties of the composites. The one-dimensional MWCNTs with superb thermal conductivity bridged the AlN particles to form an excellent network, which provides a faster and more effective pathway for phonon transport in the composites. The thermal conductivity of the 0.6 vol% MWCNTs/3.4 vol% AlN/EP composite is 0.53 W (m K) À1 . In addition, the thermal conductivity of the MWCNTs/AlN/EP composites with 0.4 vol% MWCNTs and 3.4 vol% AlN is 0.48 W (m K) À1 (which is twice the value of 0.24 W (m K) À1 for the pure EP) which was much higher than the 0.4 vol% MWCNTs/EP composites (0.27 W (m K) À1 ) and the 3.4 vol% AlN/EP composites (0.28 W (m K) À1 ). Bruggeman's equation is identified to fit quite well to the experimental results of the AlN/EP composites in the entire range of volume percentage of AlN; however, the MWCNTs/EP composites coincided better to the Russell equation. The volume resistivity of the MWCNTs/AlN/EP composites (approximately 1.8-2.6 Â 10 12 m) exhibited only a slight compromise in comparison to the pure EP (2.5 Â 10 14 m), which manifested the excellent insulation characteristic of these composites.

Effect of different silane coupling agents on cryogenic properties of silica-reinforced epoxy composites

“…Development of different inorganic nanofillers such as silica, alumina, titania, zirconia, silicon nitride, and silicon carbide with improved performance has been widely studied with much success. 14–18 Advancement in nanotechnology promotes the mass production of nanosized silica, which has been widely used as fillers in engineering composites. Many studies concerning silica-filled epoxy resins showed that the resins exhibited lower shrinkage on curing, lower thermal expansion coefficient, better thermal conductivity, and improved mechanical properties due to the silica-particle filling.…”

Predicting The Thermal Conductivity Of Epoxy/Mwcnt Composites Using Analytical Modelling

“…The data is shown as a function of filler volume fraction. Notably, data from [11], [13] and [15], and the initial data point from [14] appear to collapse approximately onto a single straight line. An attempt was made to predict the experimental thermal conductivity data of nanocomposites shown in Fig.1.…”

Effect of Filler Shape on the Thermal Conductivity of Thermal Functional Composites

“…The enhancement value was higher than that by individual CNT; this was because the hybridized Al-CNT could improve the compatibility between the filler and the matrix and could reduce the modulus mismatch at the interface. Jiao et al investigated the synergistic effects of multiwalled carbon nanotubes and aluminum nitride particles on the thermal conductivity of epoxy composites [85]. Results showed that the 1D MWCNTs with superb thermal conductivity and large aspect ratio easily bridged the isolated AlN particles to Large particle (！Ｆ 2 ／ 3 )…”