Pre-Ball-Milled Boron Nitride for the Preparation of Boron Nitride/Polyetherimide Nanocomposite Film with Enhanced Breakdown Strength and Mechanical Properties for Thermal Management

Modern electronics not only require the thermal management ability of polymer packaging materials but also need anti-voltage and mechanical properties. Boron nitride nanosheets (BNNS), an ideal thermally conductive and high withstand voltage (800 kV/mm) filler, can meet application needs, but the complex and low-yield process limits their large-scale fabrication. Herein, in this work, we prepare sucrose-assisted ball-milled BN(SABM-BN)/polyetherimide (PEI) composite films by a casting-hot pressing method. SABM-BN, as a pre-ball-milled filler, contains BNNS and BN thick sheets. We mainly investigated the thermal conductivity (TC), breakdown strength, and mechanical properties of composites. After pre-ball milling, the in-plane TC of the composite film is reduced. It decreases from 2.69 to 2.31 W/mK for BN/PEI composite film at 30 wt% content; however, the through-plane TC of composites is improved, and the breakdown strength and tensile strength of the composite film reach the maximum of 54.6 kV/mm and 102.7 MPa at 5 wt% content, respectively. Moreover, the composite film is used as a flexible circuit substrate, and the working surface temperature is 20 celcius, which is lower than that of pure PEI film. This study provides an effective strategy for polymer composites for electronic packaging.

Automated summary

In this study, boron nitride nanosheets (BNNS) filled composite films were prepared by ball milling, and the thermal conductivity, breakdown strength, and mechanical properties were studied. After pre-ball milling, the in-plane thermal conductivity of the composite film decreased, but the through-plane thermal conductivity increased, and the breakdown strength and tensile strength were also improved. Additionally, the composite film, serving as a flexible circuit substrate, exhibited a lower working temperature compared to pure films.