Directional thermal transport feature in binary filler-based SiR composites with horizontally oriented h-BN.

Efficiently thermal management in electronic devices calls for creating polymer composites that have superior thermal transport abilities. Compared with single-filler composites, hybrid-filler composites have gained significant attention as they not only utilize the advantages of each filler individually but also allow for the potential cooperation in constructing filler networks between them. Differing from the previous research on hybrid-filler size, geometry, composition, and content and their impact on thermal conductivity (TC) in composites, this study aims to examine the spatial distribution effects of hybrid-fillers. A binary-filler strategy comprising of anisotropic 2D h- BN and 0D isotropic S–Al 2 O 3 has been proposed, with the primary h -BN filler aligned to filly utilize its anisotropy and intrinsic TC properties. Furthermore, positioning a small quantity of S–Al 2 O 3 between adjacent parallel h -BN considerably improves TC in the non-oriented direction of silicon rubber (SiR) composites. A special focus is given to the influence of the interstitial S–Al 2 O 3 filler on the individual through-plane TC (λ ⊥) and in-plane TC (λ ⫽) variation of the binary-filler hybrid SiR composites, which are perpendicular and parallel to the oriented h -BN. When incorporating 40 vol% h -BN and 5 vol% S–Al 2 O 3 , the binary SiR composites exhibit the highest concurrent λ ⫽ and λ ⊥ values of 14.581 and 2.132 W/m·K, respectively. The corresponding effects on the ductility, hardness, and dielectric properties of the SiR composites were explained. Moreover, the use of commercially available TC fillers, along with the effortless preparation method, enables the potential to produce h -BN based TIMs materials on a large scale for thermal management usage. [Display omitted] • A binary filler system consisting in-plane oriented 2D h -BN and 0D isotropic S–Al 2 O 3 is designed. • The addition of S–Al 2 O 3 filler between adjacent parallel h -BN flakes facilitates vertical heat transfer. • The binary structure of h -BN/S–Al 2 O 3 exhibits an anisotropic feature in the filler contact thermal resistances. • The binary filler strategy mitigates the trade-off between in-plane and through-plane thermal conductivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]