Thermal conductive polymeric composites have attracted much attention due to their great prospects in the field of energy and electronic. However, the application of polymeric composites has been substantially limited due to its low thermal conductivity. Therefore, thermal conductivity enhancement is critical to explore the adaptability of polymeric composites. Herein, we reported a series of thermal conductive polymer composites with excellent thermal and mechanical properties inspired by biological system: (1) Inspired by the aligned arrangement of silk protein in spider silk, magnetic carbon nanotubes are successfully synthesized by coating iron oxide particles, and are supplemented and aligned in a poly(vinlydene fluoride) matrix under an external magnetic field during the composite’s fabrication. An unprecedented combination of high thermal conductivity (1.61W/mK) and superior mechanical properties (tensile strength of 120MPa) are achieved due to the aligned carbon nanotubes in the material’s system. Considering the extraordinary thermal conductivity and mechanical properties, these composites have a promising application in the chemical industry. (2) Inspired by mussels, dopamine is applied to improve the interfacial compatibility between inorganic enhanced filler boron nitride and polymer matrix poly(vinlydene fluoride). The thermal conductivity of the dopamine-modified boron nitride-poly(vinlydene fluoride) composites increases by 272% compared to the neat PVDF. The effective medium approximation model demonstrates that the decrease of thermal resistance is a major factor for the enhancement of thermal conductivity. (3) Inspired by the spines of sea urchins, urchin-like graphitic carbon-encapsulated iron oxide is supplemented in poly(vinylidene fluoride). The thermal conductivity of urchin-structured filler-poly(vinylidene fluoride) composite is 2.306 W/mK at a low filler loading of 5wt%, which is 10.28 times compared to the neat PVDF. The Agari's model indicates that the enhanced thermal conductivity can be attributed to the improved dispersibility of the urchin-structured filler. Therefore, this work provides a new way for the synthesis of reinforced filler in thermal conductive composites.

Bioinspired thermal conductive polymeric composites

2019 Spring National Meeting

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