Development and characterization of strong, heat-resistant and thermally conductive polyimide/nanodiamond nanocomposites

In this study, polymer nanocomposites based on polyimide (PI) and nanodiamond (ND) were prepared by in-situ polymerization. Polyamic acid (PAA), a precursor of PI, was polymerized in the presence of ND. ND was highly dispersed in PI at nanoscale. The excellent mechanical and thermal properties were achieved at very low content of ND. The Young's modulus increased approximately by 70% at ND content of 0.1 wt%. The strong enhancements in the thermal decomposition temperature (from 544 degrees C to 572 degrees C) and the melting point (from 593 degrees C to 610 degrees C) were achieved by the addition of only 0.01 wt% ND loading. Moreover, the PI/ND nanocomposites exhibited the high thermal conductivity comparable to that of commercially available thermal interface materials. To the best of our knowledge, such a strong enhancement in the properties by such a low filler content have not been reported yet.

Automated summary

Polymer nanocomposites based on PI and ND were prepared by in-situ polymerization, with highly dispersed ND in PI matrix achieving excellent mechanical and thermal properties at very low ND content. The properties were significantly enhanced by the addition of only a small amount of ND.