Hybrid-Filler-Incorporated, Photocurable, Thermally Conductive Elastomers with High Stretchability and Self-Attachability

The thermal management issues caused by low-thermal-conductivity elastomers in flexible devices can be mitigated using thermally conductive elastomers (TCEs), which contain thermally conductive fillers. TCEs are usually prepared by solvent mixing and thermal curing, but these steps are also problematic as they emit volatile organic compounds and cause thermal damage, respectively. Furthermore, fabrication of a complex structure is strictly restricted in these steps. Therefore, we fabricated a TCE by photocuring and additionally imparting adhesive properties, enabling uniform heat transfer. White spherical alumina and black rod-shaped multiwalled carbon nanotubes were used together as a hybrid filler. The prepared TCE exhibited higher adhesive strength than a commercial TCE, especially in terms of its lap shear strength, which was 61.5-fold higher. Grid-patterned TCEs were successfully manufactured by photocuring with a masking film. This patterning can facilitate the fabrication of complex-structured TCEs by light-driven three-dimensional printing.