High Thermal Conductivity Semicrystalline Epoxy Resins with Anthraquinone-Based Hardeners

Polymers with enhanced thermal conductivity are in great demand for thermal management of electronic devices. However, the thermal conductivity of polymers is typically low (similar to 0.2 W/(m K)). In this work, four epoxy resins were cured using one commercial diepoxide and four diamine hardeners with an anthraquinone structure. The thermal conductivity of one epoxy resin reached 0.52 W/(m K), which is similar to 2.5 times that of common polymers. These epoxy resins are shown to have a semicrystalline structure, and both the thermal conductivity and density of the four epoxy resins exhibited a positive correlation with crystallinity.

Automated summary

Polymer materials with enhanced thermal conductivity are highly sought after for thermal management of electronic devices. This study successfully developed epoxy resins with a thermal conductivity of 0.52 W/(m K), which is 2.5 times higher than common polymers. It was found that the thermal conductivity and density of these epoxy resins have a positive correlation with crystallinity.