Emerging advances in thermal conductivity of polymeric nanoarchitectures
Christopher Igwe Idumah
Abstract
Thermal conductivity or heat dissipation of polymeric matrices is critical thermal feature for both polymeric applications as well as process strategies. Polymeric matrices display intrinsic lower heat dissipation in comparison to metallic or ceramic substrates, and hence are good heat insulating materials. As a result of increasing power densities in energy storage, electronics, aerospace, automobile, information, and communication technologies, thermal conductivity has become critical parameter for effective performance and reliability of optoelectronics, photonic, electronics, as well as other gadgets, so as to proactively hinder early failure attributable to overheating. The synergistic embedment and modification of polymeric matrices using thermally conductive nanoparticulates like ceramic, carbon and metallic nanoparticulates have resulted in the fabrication of thermally conductive polymeric nanoarchitectures, thereby enlarging the scope of usage of these materials in sectors hitherto limited because of inferior thermal conductivity, which has unlocked a vista of opportunities for polymeric nanoarchitectures. Therefore, this paper elucidates most recently emerging trends in thermal conductivity of polymeric nanoarchitectures and multifunctional applications.