Preparation of thermally conductive polycarbonate/boron nitride composites with balanced mechanical properties

Abstract In this study, thermally conductive polycarbonate/boron nitride (PC/BN) composites were prepared by masterbatch dilution and direct melt mixing methods, respectively. A comparative study of both microstructure and rheological properties of corresponding composites suggests an improved filler distribution is achieved by masterbatch dilution, which is advantageous to the enhancement of both thermal conductivity and tensile properties at a medium filler loading range. In addition, thermogravimetric analysis indicated that thermal stability of masterbatch diluted PC/BN composites is superior to that of direct melt compounded counterparts. However, the char residue of PC in subsequent composites decreases with increasing filler content, which is believed to be related to the incompatibility between fillers and the matrix, as well as the enhancement of thermal conductivity. This work provides a facile method to prepare thermally conductive composites with balanced mechanical properties.