Enhanced thermal conductivity and dielectric properties of Al/β-SiCw/PVDF composites

Polymeric composites with high thermal conductivity, high dielectric permittivity but low dissipation factor have wide important applications in electronic and electrical industry. In this study, three phases composites consisting of poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF), Al nanoparticles and beta-silicon carbide whiskers (beta-SiCw) were prepared. The thermal conductivity, morphological and dielectric properties of the composites were investigated. The results indicate that the addition of 12 vol% beta-SiCw not only improves the thermal conductivity of Al/PVDF from 1.57 to 2.1 W/m K, but also remarkably increases the dielectric constant from 46 to 330 at 100 Hz, whereas the dielectric loss of the composites still remain at relatively low levels similar to that of Al/PVDF at a wider frequency range from 10(-1) Hz to 10(7) Hz. With further increasing the beta-SiCw loading to 20 vol%, the thermal conductivity and dielectric constant of the composites continue to increase, whereas both the dielectric loss and conductivity also rise rapidly. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.