Advances in Liquid Crystalline Epoxy Resins for High Thermal Conductivity

Epoxy resin (EP) is one of the most famous thermoset materials. In general, because EP has a three-dimensional random network, it possesses thermal properties similar to those of a typical heat insulator. Recently, there has been substantial interest in controlling the network structure of EP to create new functionalities. Indeed, the modified EP, represented as liquid crystalline epoxy (LCE), is considered promising for producing novel functionalities, which cannot be obtained from conventional EPs, by replacing the random network structure with an oriented one. In this paper, we review the current progress in the field of LCEs and their application to highly thermally conductive composite materials.

Automated summary

This paper reviews the impact of network structure on the thermal properties of epoxy resin (EP) and the feasibility of creating new functionalities by modifying the structure of EP. Liquid crystalline epoxy (LCE) is considered as a promising new material with wide applications in highly thermally conductive composite materials.