Enhanced thermal conductive and mechanical properties of thermoresponsive polymeric composites: Influence of 3D interconnected boron nitride network supported by polyurethane@polydopamine skeleton

Abstract Polymeric composites with excellent thermal conductivity are in high demand in modern electronics because of their need for efficient heat dissipation. Whereas, the thermally conductive polymeric composites usually be limited by the insufficient effectiveness of the thermally conductive pathway, at the cost of high filler content and deterioration of mechanical strength. At the same time, they lack multi-functionality. Here, we reported advanced thermoresponsive polymeric composites containing a three-dimensional interconnected boron nitride (BN) network, which simultaneously displayed high thermal conductivity enhancement, thermal transfer performance, improved shape memory, and mechanical properties. Manufactured composites on the basis of commercial polyurethane sponges which were modified by polydopamine and coated with BN through dip-coating assemble method and the subsequent vacuum infiltration. The composites exhibit 2.4 W•m−1•K−1 with 17.5 wt% BN loading, and the through-plane thermal conductivity enhancement reaches 1100%. Furthermore, the mechanical properties of the composites have improved four times compared with pure polyethylene glycol. The obtained composites demonstrate the strong application in thermal management and were simulated in the CPU of the computer. Our fabrication provides a promising strategy to achieve multi-functional polymeric composites through constructing a three-dimensional thermally conductive pathway.