This paper reports the experimental study carried out to establish the dependence of the thermal conductivity of polypropylene-based nanocomposites filled with carbon nanotubes on the main parameter of the temperature regime of their manufacturing ‒ the level of overheating a polymer melt relative to its melting point. The study has been conducted for nanocomposites that were manufactured by applying a method based on the mixing of components in the polymer melt applying a special disk extruder. During the composite manufacturing process, the level of melt overheating varied from 10 to 75 K, with the mass share of filler ranging from 0.3 to 10.0 %. It is shown that increasing the overheating of a polymer melt causes an increase in the thermal conductivity of the composites. However, when the overheating has reached a certain value, its further growth does not increase the thermal conductivity of nanocomposites. Based on the established pattern, the rational level of this overheating has been determined. That resolves the tasks of manufacturing highly heat-conducting nanocomposites and implementing appropriate energy-saving technology. Data have been acquired on the effects of the impact of the amount of polymer melt overheating on the values of the first and second percolation thresholds for the examined nanocomposites. It is established that the value of the first percolation threshold is more sensitive to the specified amount of overheating. The dependences of the density of the examined composites on the level of polymer melt overheating have been derived. The correlation between a given dependence and the nature of a corresponding change in the thermal conductivity of the composites has been established. Applying the proposed highly heat-conducting nanocomposites is promising for micro and nanoelectronics, energy, etc.

This paper reports a series of experimental studies to establish regularities of the integrated effect exerted on the specific heat capacity of polymer nanocomposites by such factors as the temperature regime of their production, the value of the mass fraction of the filler, and the temperature of the composite material. The studies were conducted for nanocomposites based on polypropylene filled with carbon nanotubes. When obtaining composites, the method of mixing the components in the melt of the polymer was used. During the studies, the temperature of nanocomposites varied from 295 to 455 K, the mass fraction of the filler ‒ from 0.3 to 10 %. The basic parameter of the technological mode for obtaining composite materials, the value of overheating the polymer melt relative to its melting point, varied in the range of 10...75 K. It is shown that the temperature dependence of the specific heat capacity of the considered composites is sensitive to changes in the overheating of the polymer melt only in the region maximum values of the specific heat capacity. Concentration dependences of the specific heat capacity of the considered nanocomposites at different values of their temperature and the level of overheating of the polymer melt have been built. The studies have been carried out to identify the effects of the influence of the above parameters on the coefficient of thermal diffusivity of nanocomposites. It has been established, in particular, that an increase in the level of overheating the polymer could lead to a very significant increase in the coefficient of thermal diffusivity, which is all the more significant the higher the proportion of filler and the lower the temperature of the composite material. It is shown that the level of overheating the polymer melt relative to its melting point is a parameter that can be used as the basis for the creation of polymer composite materials with specified thermophysical properties.

A set of experimental studies has been carried out to establish the effect of the mixing time of components of nanocomposite materials on their thermal conductivity, specific heat, and density. The physical properties of polypropylene-carbon nanotube composites were to be studied. During the experiments, the duration of mixing of the components in the melt of the polymer varied from 5 to 52 minutes, the mass fraction of the filler ‒ in the range of 0.3...10 %, and nanocomposite temperature – from 290 K to 475 K. It was found that an increase in the mixing time of components of nanocomposite materials could lead to a significant (more than 70 times) increase in their thermal conductivity. It is also shown that the influence of the specified time is limited to its value equal to 27 minutes, above which the change in the thermal conductivity of nanocomposites can be neglected. It was found that the sensitivity of the thermal conductivity of nanocomposites to the time of mixing of their components decreases with a decrease in the mass fraction of the filler. Temperature dependences of the specific heat capacity of the studied composites were obtained by varying the mixing time of their components and the mass fraction of the filler. It was found that with an increase in the specified time, there is a decrease in the heat capacity of nanocomposites, which is significantly manifested only in the region of temperatures close to the melting point of the composite matrix. It is shown that the dependence of the density of nanocomposites on the mixing time of their components in qualitative terms is similar to the corresponding dependence for their thermal conductivity. The obtained data can be used to choose the mixing time of components of nanocomposite materials in the development of appropriate technology for their production