Fully Organic Bulk Polymer with Metallic Thermal Conductivity and Tunable Thermal Pathways

Electrically insulating polymers are indispensable for electronic and energy applications, but their poor thermal conduction has increasingly become a bottleneck for high-performance devices. Highly drawn low-dimensional polymeric fibers and thin films can exhibit metallic conductivity. Extending this to bulk materials required by real world applications is prohibitive due to the additional interfacial thermal conduction barriers. It is demonstrated that highly aligned ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene microfibers can be incorporated into a silicone matrix to yield a fully organic bulk polymer composite with a continuous vertical phonon pathway. This leads to a perpendicular thermal conductivity of 38.27 W m(-1) K-1, at par with metals and two orders of magnitude higher than other bulk organic polymers. Taking further advantage of the mechanical flexibility of the microfibers, the processing method offers the freedom to tailor heat transfer pathways in a macroscopic 3D space. The material/process opens up opportunities for efficient thermal management in high-performance devices.

Automated summary

This study demonstrates the incorporation of highly aligned ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene microfibers into a silicone matrix to create an organic bulk polymer composite with continuous vertical phonon pathways. The resulting material exhibits a perpendicular thermal conductivity of 38.27 W m(-1) K-1, equivalent to metals and significantly higher than other bulk organic polymers. By utilizing the mechanical flexibility of the microfibers, this processing method allows for tailored heat transfer pathways in a macroscopic 3D space, opening up opportunities for efficient thermal management in high-performance devices.