Construction of thermal conduction networks and decrease of interfacial thermal resistance for improving thermal conductivity of epoxy natural rubber composites

Timely dissipation of accumulated heat in modern microelectronic equipments becomes an important strategy to ensure their operating stability and lifetime. Herein, alumina (Al2O3) and boron nitride (BN) are first modified by polyrhodanine (PRd), which then utilized to construct thermal conduction networks in epoxy natural rubber (ENR) composites, in which two-dimensional BN platelets act as bridges between zero-dimensional Al2O3 particles. During crosslinking process, the –NC–SH structures in PRd react rapidly with ENR chains and form strong covalent bonds, lead to an improved filler dispersion of polymeric composites and decreased interfacial thermal resistance between thermally conductive filler and ENR matrix. Finally, a relatively high thermal conductivity of 0.5147 W/(m·K) is obtained for ENR composites, which is 370% that of pure ENR (0.1390 W/(m·K)). Overall, construction of thermal conduction networks and decrease in interfacial thermal resistance of polymeric composites offer an effective approach to design and fabricate high-performance thermal management materials.