Epoxy composites filled with boron nitride and aluminum nitride for improved thermal conductivity

Abstract

Epoxy composites containing boron nitride (BN) or aluminum nitride (AlN or Al2N3) particles have been studied with a view to obtaining increased thermal conductivity. The effect of these fillers on the cure reaction has been investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) for two systems, epoxy-diamine and epoxy-thiol, and for volume fractions up to about 35 % of these filler particles. For the epoxy-diamine system, the glass transition temperature of the fully cured system, the heat of reaction, and the temperature at which the peak heat flow occurs were all independent of the cure conditions, filler type and content. In contrast, the epoxy-thiol system shows a systematic effect of filler on the peak temperature for both fillers: there is an initial acceleration of the reaction, which diminishes with increasing content, and the reaction is even significantly retarded at high contents for BN. This is interpreted in terms of an improved interface between epoxy matrix and particles, with a consequent enhancement of the thermal conductivity of the epoxy-thiol composites.