Epoxy composites with high thermal conduction routes via in situ constructing "pea-pod-like" alumina-boron nitride 3D structure

High thermal conductivity polymer materials are highly desirable for thermal management applications in electrical encapsulation and energy fields. The construction of three-dimensional thermal conductivity structure has become an attractive method to improve the thermal conductivity of polymers. However, traditional methods for constructing 3D structures use prefabricated thermal conductivity models. Herein, we take epoxy resin as matrix, through the cooperation of sheet BN and spherical Al2O3 to in situ construct a "pea-pod-like" 3D thermal network, to prepare high thermal conductivity Al2O3-BN-Epoxy (ABE) composites. Compared with pure epoxy resin, the thermal conductivity of the ABE composites and the random Al2O3-BN-Epoxy (R-ABE) composite is increased by 257% and 63%, respectively. And it still has a high thermal conductivity at low temperatures (696% enhancement at 60 K) for ABE(60%) composite. This method of in situ construction of 3D thermal conductivity networks is of great significance in the development and application of thermal management materials.