Learning from Natural Nacre: Constructing Layered Polymer Composites with High Thermal Conductivity
2017
Pan, Guiran | Yao, Yimin | Zeng, Xiaoliang | Sun, Jiajia | Hu, Jiantao | Sun, Rong | Xu, Jian-Bin | Wong, Ching-Ping
Inspired by the microstructures of naturally layered and highly oriented materials, such as natural nacre, we report a thermally conductive polymer composite that consists of epoxy resin and Al₂O₃ platelets deposited with silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). Owing to their unique two-dimensional structure, Al₂O₃ platelets are stacked together via a hot-pressing technique, resulting in a brick-and-mortar structure, which is similar to the one of natural nacre. Moreover, the AgNPs deposited on the surfaces of the Al₂O₃ platelets act as bridges that link the adjacent Al₂O₃ platelets due to the reduced melting point of the AgNPs. As a result, the polymer composite with 50 wt % filler achieves a maximum thermal conductivity of 6.71 W m–¹ K–¹. In addition, the small addition of AgNPs (0.6 wt %) minimally affects the electrical insulation of the composites. Our bioinspired approach will find uses in the design and fabrication of thermally conductive materials for thermal management in modern electronics.
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