Enhance the thermal conductivity and maintain insulation property of epoxy via constructing a three-dimensional network by doping hexagonal boron nitride and carbon nanofiber

ABSTRACTWe have used reverse nonequlibrium molecular dynamics modeling to study the impact of uniaxial stretching on the thermal conductivity of monolayer molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) and hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN). Our results predict an anomalous response of the thermal conductivity of these materials to normal strain. Thermal conductivity of h-BN increases under a tensile strain whereas thermal conductivity of MoS2 remains fairly constant. These are in striking contrast to the impact of tensile strain on the thermal conductivity of three dimensional materials whose thermal conductivity decreases under tensile strain. We investigate the mechanism responsible for this unexpected behavior by studying the impact of tensile strain on the phonon dispersion curves and group velocities of these materials.

The thermally conductive properties of silicone thermal grease enhanced by hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) nanosheets as a filler are relevant to the field of lightweight polymer-based thermal interface materials. However, the enhancements are restricted by the amount of hBN nanosheets added, owing to a dramatic increase in the viscosity of silicone thermal grease. To this end, a rational structural design of the filler is needed to ensure the viable development of the composite material. Using reduced graphene oxide (RGO) as substrate, three-dimensional (3D) heterostructured reduced graphene oxide-hexagonal boron nitride (RGO-hBN)-stacking material was constructed by self-assembly of hBN nanosheets on the surface of RGO with the assistance of binder for silicone thermal grease. Compared with hBN nanosheets, 3D RGO-hBN more effectively improves the thermally conductive properties of silicone thermal grease, which is attributed to the introduction of graphene and its phonon-matching structural characteristics. RGO-hBN/silicone thermal grease with lower viscosity exhibits higher thermal conductivity, lower thermal resistance and better thermal management capability than those of hBN/silicone thermal grease at the same filler content. It is feasible to develop polymer-based thermal interface materials with good thermal transport performance for heat removal of modern electronics utilising graphene-supported hBN as the filler at low loading levels.