Solution-processable thermally conductive polymer composite adhesives of benzyl-alcohol-modified boron nitride two-dimensional nanoplates

We prepared a high-concentration suspension of boron nitride (BN) nanoplates stabilized with benzyl alcohol (BBN) in epoxy resin as a polymer composite adhesive for a highly efficient heat dissipation. At a BN concentration of 40 wt%, the polymer composite with B-BN exhibited a high thermal conductivity (kappa = 1.51 W/m center dot K at 25 degrees C) comparable to that of a composite with bulk BN and significantly higher than that of a composite with a chemically modified BN (S-BN). Furthermore, the concentration of B-BN in the epoxy resin was increased to 46 wt% without a significant increase in viscosity, leading to a further improvement in the thermal conductivity to 2.11 W/m.K. The epoxy resin with B-BN exhibited a low coefficient of thermal expansion and high effective modulus owing to the strong affinity to the epoxy. Finally, we recycled benzyl alcohol more than 10 times for the preparation of B-BN, which may reduce the manufacturing cost and environmental pollution. Therefore, B-BN could be a promising filler for heat dissipation as well as starting material for additional modification.