Magnetic field induced thermal conductive networks in silicone rubber composites with a low fraction of hybrid filler

The high thermal conducting composites with low filler content are of critical importance in developing high-performance thermal interface materials. In this work, the thermal conductive silicone rubber composites with a low volume fraction (<= 4.58%) of Carbon Nanotubes (CNTs) and magnetic nickel microfibers hybrid filler were prepared by the simple mixing and curing process at room temperature. A remarkable enhancement in thermal conductivity was observed for the composites cured under an external magnetic field of similar to 0.5 T. This improvement in thermal conductivity can be attributed to the conductive network formation of CNTs-nickel microfibers induced by the external magnetic field.