Phase morphology evolution and thermally conductive networks of immiscible polymer blends

The selective distribution of fillers in multi-phase polymer blends was dramatically studied to deal with thermal management fields issues. Concerning thermodynamic and kinetic effects of fillers on immiscible polymer blends, the compatibilization of fillers on phase morphology evolution and final construction of thermal conductive pathways were rarely discussed. In this work, BN fillers and polar dispersed phase were introduced into PE through various processing methods. The result showed that filler-coated shell was formed around the larger-sized dispersed phase, thereby forming more thermal conductivity network with other fillers in the two-step processing composites. When the BN content was 20 phr, the thermal conductivity was 0.8271 W/(m center dot K) for PE/PA6/BN-two steps composites, which was 95.48% higher than that of PE/PA6 composites. From the perspective of the regulation of the morphological structure of the dispersed phase, this study can provide methods and basic data for improving the thermal conductivity of incompatible polymer blends.

Automated summary

This study investigated the selective distribution of fillers in multi-phase polymer blends for thermal management, showing that when BN fillers and polar dispersed phase were introduced into PE, a filler-coated shell was formed around the larger-sized dispersed phase, creating more thermal conductivity network. The thermal conductivity of PE/PA6/BN-two steps composites with 20 phr BN content was significantly higher than that of PE/PA6 composites, indicating the potential for improving the thermal conductivity of incompatible polymer blends through regulating the morphological structure of the dispersed phase.