Thermally Conductive Epoxy Composites Using Porous Boron Nitride Network and Polydopamine-Treated Aluminum Oxide
Wondu Lee, Wonyoung Yang, Jooheon Kim
Abstract
A high-performance thermally conductive composite was fabricated by using epoxy (EP) and hybrid fillers consisting of polydopamine (PDA)-treated alumina (AO) and a porous boron nitride (BN) network with carbonized cellulose nanofibers (BNCNF). The continuous heat transfer paths were formed by freeze-cast porous BN. Moreover, the improved interfacial interaction between filler and matrix was achieved by hydrogen bonding derived from amin group on PDA-AO and hydroxyl group on BNCNF. This composite exhibited a high thermal conductivity (4.3 W m –1 K –1, 2050% enhancement compared to pure EP) along the through-plane direction within the matrix and improved tensile stress (80.86%). Based on these findings, it can be concluded that the EP/BNCNF/PDA-AO composites have the potential to significantly improve thermal management in electronic devices. The fabricated epoxy composites also exhibited promising characteristics for the development of thermal management systems.