Thermal Conductivity of Polymer/Carbon Nanotube Composites

Abstract

As one of the most important field of current nanoscience, the polymer nanocomposites is a promising and efficient way for new generation materials with high performances and multifunctionalities. The incorporating of nanofillers in a polymer matrix may improve mechanical, thermal, electrical or dielectric properties of the composites. The current paper focuses on the thermal conductivity of polymer/carbon nanotube composites. These last, are considered to be ideal candidates for the development of nanocomposite materials. Clarifying the role of the factors, influencing the properties of the composites, enable us to choose the suitable processing method for obtaining the composites and to improve the different properties of these systems. This article reviews the dependence of thermal conductivity of carbon nanotubes on the tube size and the effect of interface on the equivalent property. The relationship between the thermal conductivity and the nanostructure of composites are discussed.

Influence of filler dispersion and interfacial resistance on thermal conductivity of polypropylene/carbon nanotubes systems

“…The improvement of thermal conductivity of nanocomposites filled with carbon nanotubes has been widely reported [1,2]. However, previous investigations has also highlighted that thermal conductivities of products are relatively low with respect to the intrinsic thermal conductivity of included carbon nanotubes.…”

Nanoarchitectonics of BN/AgNWs/Epoxy Composites with High Thermal Conductivity and Electrical Insulation

“…At present, the mainstream approach is to select some inorganic nanoparticles with high thermal conductivity as fillers, which are added into polymers to prepare high thermal conductive composites. Traditional fillers mainly include metals such as Al, Ag, Cu and Mg [17][18][19] or inorganic carbon materials such as carbon black and graphene [20][21][22][23][24][25]. However, the strong conductivity of the above fillers significantly reduces the insulation of the composites, which limits the composites' application in motors, electrical appliances and electronics.…”

Thermally Conductive Aluminum Nitride–Multiwalled Carbon Nanotube/Cyanate Ester Composites with High Flame Retardancy and Low Dielectric Loss

“…Many conductive fillers have been used, such as oxides (Al 2 O 3 , SiO 2 , ZnO, and BeO), − carbides (SiC), and nitrides (AlN and BN), , but to obtain high thermal conductivity, a very large loading of fillers, usually 60 wt % or even higher, should be used to form a fully conductive network in the matrix. Obviously, this usually results in poor processing characteristics; , therefore, reducing the content of conductive fillers is a key issue for conductive composites.…”