A high-performance thermal conductive and outstanding electrical insulating composite based on robust neuron-like microstructure

Owing to the rapid development of highly integrated electronic devices, research on reliable and efficient Thermal interface materials (TIMs) has promising prospects. Boron nitride (BN) is regarded as an excellent functional filler due to its high in-plane thermal conductivity and low cost. However, the fabrication of highly thermally conductive polymer-based composites with multifunctional properties remains challenging. Presented here is an efficient and scalable technique to realize the robust neuron-like microstructure network with oriented BN platelets formed in Polyethersulfone (PES) and Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) based composites. The neuron-like microstructure, with well-developed synapses, guarantee effective thermal pathways and robust interface interaction under complex conditions. The oriented BN layer in the composite ensures a high thermal conductivity of 12.13 W m(-1) K-1, indicating a thermal enhancement efficiency of 156.6% per 1 vol% filler compared to the polymer-based matrix. Combined with outstanding electrical resistivity over 1015 Omega.cm and superior usage stability over 120 degrees C, the composite also exhibits superior performance in application tests in the mobile communication system and laptop chip cooling module making it promising in the intelligent robot industry and advanced electronic packaging field.