Facile and Scalable Strategy for Fabricating Highly Thermally Conductive Epoxy Composites Utilizing 3D Graphitic Carbon Nitride Nanosheet Skeleton

The application of high-performance thermal interfacematerials(TIMs) for thermal management is commonly used to tackle the problemof heat accumulation, which influences the performance and reliabilityof microelectronic devices. Herein, a novel three-dimensional (3D)carbon nitride nanosheet (CNNS)/epoxy composite with high thermalconductivity was developed by introducing 3D CNNS skeleton fillersprepared by a facile and scalable strategy assisted by a salt template.Benefiting from the continuous heat transfer pathways formed in theCNNS skeleton, 17.0 wt % 3D CNNS/epoxy composites achieve a superiorthermal conductivity of 1.27 W/m center dot K, which is 6.35 and 1.57 timeshigher than those of epoxy resin and convention CNNS/epoxy, respectively.With the aid of theoretical model analysis and finite element simulation,the pronounced enhancement effect of the 3D CNNS skeleton on the thermalconductivity of epoxy composites is found to be attributed to thecontinuous 3D CNNS thermally conductive network, the diminished CNNS-CNNSinterfacial thermal resistance, and the effective interfacial interactionsbetween epoxy and CNNS. In addition, the 3D CNNS/epoxy compositespossess high electrical insulation and desirable mechanical strength.Therefore, 3D CNNS/epoxy composites are promising TIMs for advancedelectronic thermal management.

Automated summary

A novel three-dimensional (3D) carbon nitride nanosheet (CNNS)/epoxy composite with high thermal conductivity was developed for thermal management in microelectronic devices. The composite achieved a superior thermal conductivity of 1.27 W/m center dot K, 6.35 and 1.57 times higher than epoxy resin and conventional CNNS/epoxy, respectively. The enhancement effect of the 3D CNNS skeleton on thermal conductivity was attributed to the continuous 3D CNNS thermally conductive network, diminished CNNS-CNNS interfacial thermal resistance, and effective interfacial interactions between epoxy and CNNS. The 3D CNNS/epoxy composites also exhibited high electrical insulation and desirable mechanical strength, making them promising thermal interface materials for advanced electronic thermal management.