Multilayered graphene/boron nitride/thermoplastic polyurethane composite films with high thermal conductivity, stretchability, and washability for adjustable-cooling smart clothes

Polymers having high filler loading levels are not able to meet the increasing requirements of thermal interface materials by themselves; therefore, fillers and structures with unique advantages have been developed. In this study, mechanical mixing was used to disperse graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) and boron nitride (BN) fillers inside thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU)-based films, which were then compounded into a multilayered structure. The multilayered BN-GNP/TPU composite film created during this study exhibited a high thermal conductivity of 6.86 W m−1 K−1 at a low filler loading of 20 wt% BN with 20 wt% GNP, which was significantly higher (2844%) than that of the neat TPU film. The composite film also had good durability to flexural fatigue and laundering. This was exhibited by maintaining thermal conductivity values of 6.25 W m−1 K−1 after 5000 cycles of the flexural fatigue test, and 6.85 W m−1 K−1 after 10 cycles of laundering, respectively. Furthermore, enhanced thermal stability, cooling, and hydrophobic properties of the multilayered BN-GNP/TPU composite films were also observed with the resulting composite film. Overall, such a system provides a facile approach that is applicable for the fabrication of multifunctional materials as thermal interface materials within smart cooling garments.