Preparation of noncovalent functionalized Boron Nitride and its 3D collaborative thermal conduction network with epoxy

Boron Nitride (BN) is widely used in thermal management of electronic products because of the excellent thermal conductivity and electrical insulation performance. Herein, the BN/Epoxy composite with innovative construction of 3D collaborative thermal conductivity network and a high thermal conductivity (TC) was reported. Firstly, Noncovalent functionalized BN (NF-BN) was prepared by urea to increase the compatibility with epoxy. Then, a 3D-NF-BN foam was constructed by slat-template filled epoxy. Based on the low interfacial thermal resistance (ITR) between NF-BN and epoxy, the epoxy not only acted as a mechanical support, but also conduct heat flow collaboratively with 3D-NF-BN foam. The composite reached a high TC of 6.36 W m −1 K −1 at 60 vol%, which was 31.8 times that of pure epoxy. This work is simple and effective, which provides a new idea for further improving the TC of composites.