The effect of interfacial resistance and crystallinity on heat transfer mechanism in carbon nanotube reinforced polyethylene

Abstract Thermoplastic nanocomposites were fabricated in order to deliver a suitable material for thermal management devices, commonly processed by injection molding or 3D printing. Scalable manufacturing of Carbon Nanotubes (CNTs) and multi-functional polymers with good thermal conductivity and ease of handling was demonstrated in the present study. The standard grade polyethylene reinforced with CNTs, was formed by melt mixing. Polyethylene glycol was used for concentrating CNTs in a masterbatch for its plasticizing properties, ensuring safe handling and even dispersion of CNTs. Through characterization of morphology and thermal properties, an interconnected CNTs network was established, which enhanced the heat transfer at high concentration by changing the main conduction path from polymer crystal lattice to CNTs conductive network. Moreover, it was shown that modification in the matrix crystallinity is key to maximize the phonon and electron conduction interfaces and achieve advances in thermal conductivity beyond 68% and 100% achieved for 15 wt% content of CNTs compared to neat PE and PE@PEG matrices, respectively, within this study.