Thermal, Dielectric, and Mechanical Properties of SiC Particles Filled Linear Low-Density Polyethylene Composites

A thermally conductive linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) composite with silicon carbide (SiC) as filler was prepared in a heat press molding. The SiC particles distributions were found to be rather uniform in matrix at both low and high filler content due to a powder mixing process employed. Differential scanning calorimeter results indicated that the SiC filler decreases the degree of crystallinity of LLDPE, and has no obvious influence on the melting temperature of LLDPE. Experimental results demonstrated that the LLDPE composites displays a high thermal conductivity of 1.48 Wm(-1) K-1 and improved thermal stability at 55 wt % SiC content as compared to pure LLDPE. The surface treatment of SiC particles has a beneficial effect on improving the thermal conductivity. The dielectric constant and loss increased with SiC content, however, they still remained at relatively low levels (<10(2) Hz); whereas, the composites showed poorer mechanical properties as compared to pure LLDPE. In addition, combined use of small amount of alumina short fiber and SiC gave rise to improved overall properties of LLDPE composites. (C) 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 112: 1695-1703, 2009