Use of BN-coated copper nanowires in nanocomposites with enhanced thermal conductivity and electrical insulation

Copper nanowires (CuNWs), as one-dimensional nanostructures, could be highly helpful as thermal management tools because of inherent thermal conductivity, high aspect ratio, and low cost. In this study, boron nitride-coated copper nanowires (CuNWs@BN) were successfully synthesized by an amenable and rapid technique and incorporated into synthetic polyimide (PI) to increase thermal conductivity while providing electrical insulation to nanocomposites. Maximal thermal conductivity in CuNWs@BN/PI composites containing fillers loading up to 20% volume rose to 4.12 W/mK, indicating an amelioration of 23 times in comparison with that of pure PI, while volume resistivity remained greater than 4.8x10(13) Omega cm. Such nanocomposites with high thermal conductivity and electrical insulation could constitute important tools for thermal management.Graphical abstractA distinct core-shell structure comprising boron nitride-coated copper nanowire was successfully synthesized using a flexible and rapid technique and incorporated into synthetic polyimide matrix for enhanced thermal conductivity and electrically insulation of the nanocomposite film.