Influence of amine surface treatments of carbon nanotube and boron nitride hybrid fillers on the thermal and mechanical properties of flexible amine‐based acrylate composites via 3D vat photopolymerization

Abstract

Owing to the rapid advancement in electronic devices, thermal interface materials have been introduced to solve the thermal dissipation and electrical insulation problems in electronic parts and packaging materials. In this study, flexible thermally conductive acrylate‐based composites were fabricated via 3D vat photopolymerization. The effects of amine functional groups on the thermal and mechanical properties of acrylate polymers were explored. Surface‐treatment agents, namely, (3‐aminopropyl)triethoxysilane (APTES) and octadecylamine (ODA), were selected to enhance the poor dispersibility of fillers in the resin matrix caused by aggregation. The APTES‐treated carbon nanotube (CNT)–boron nitride (BN) hybrid composite exhibited the highest thermal conductivity of 0.990 W m−1 K−1, which was remarkably 482.35% higher than that of the matrix owing to the addition of 30 wt% BN, 0.5 wt% CNTs, and APTES treatment. The ODA‐treated CNT composite, which contained only 0.5 wt% CNTs, exhibited a thermal conductivity of 0.540 W m−1 K−1, which was 217.65% higher than that of the matrix. The electrical insulation properties of the composites were characterized, and the composites exhibited low electrical conductivity as electrical insulation materials. The advantages of the 3D‐printed flexible thermally conductive acrylate polymers usher in a new era of using polymer composites to address heat dissipation problems in complex structures.