Heat conduction in graphite-nanoplatelet-reinforced polymer nanocomposites

Heat transport in polymer nanocomposites reinforced with graphite nanoplatelets (GNPs) is studied using high-precision thermal conductivity measurements. The resistance to heat conduction across interfaces between GNPs and the polymer matrix has a strong effect on energy transport in the nanocomposites. The thermal conductivity is observed to increase when GNPs are pretreated with nitric acid to improve interfacial bonding. The improvement in the thermal conductivity, however, is much smaller than the corresponding improvement in mechanical properties. The thermal interface resistance extracted from the present thermal conductivity data is comparable to that obtained from the previously reported data on carbon nanotube suspensions. (c) 2006 American Institute of Physics.