Post-annealing effects of electroless Ni-B-plated MWCNTs on thermal conductivity of epoxy-based composites

This study investigated the heat-treatment-induced changes on the surfaces of electroless Ni-B-plated MWCNTs, in addition to the MWCNTs' resultant effects on the thermal conductivity of epoxy composites. The surfaces of the heat-treated MWCNTs were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction. The ASTM D5470 standard test was used to record the composites' thermal conductivity. The surface crystallinity of the MWCNTs was shown to improve with increasing heat-treatment temperatures, and their incorporation increased the thermal conductivity of the epoxy composite. In particular the Ni-B 500/EP sample showed more than 110% enhancement of thermal conductivity compared to the Ni-B 0/EP sample. These results were attributed to the interfacial adhesion between the CNTs and EP matrix in the composites. (C) 2015 The Korean Society of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.