Enhanced thermal conductivity of epoxy polymer alloys blend with fluorine-contained hybrid silicon dioxide

To improve the thermal resistance properties of epoxy (EP) resin, a novel hybrid silicon dioxide (F-SiO2) was prepared via a convenient sol-gel process, while the fluorosilane coupling agent 3,3,3-trifluoropropyl(trimethoxy)silane and tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) were employed as the raw materials. The prepared F-SiO2 was then used as modifier phase to blend with EP to prepare new polymer alloys F-SiO2/EP. The thermal properties of cured F-SiO2/EP resins were investigated by thermogravimetry (TG), and their dielectric properties were also researched. The results showed that both the thermal conductivity of F-SiO2/EP increased effectively with reasonable addition of F-SiO2, whereas their dielectric properties were not reduced significantly. The enhancement of thermal conductivity of F-SiO2/EP was owning to the excellent ability of F-SiO2 to absorb heat, as while as the good synergy between fluorine and silicon.