Boron nitride nanosheets/epoxy nanocomposites with high thermal conductivity and high dielectric constant for energy storage applications

Owing to their ability to provide thermal conduction as well as electrical insulation properties that are required for modern electronic devices and electrical systems, nano-fillers incorporated epoxy composites are being widely investigated. In this study, epoxy composites have been reinforced with boron nitride nanosheets (BNNSs) to achieve enhanced thermal conductivity and dielectric properties. Further, their change as a function of BNNSs concentration (weight %) has been investigated. BNNSs are synthesized using the bottom-up approach, while the nanocomposites of epoxy and BNNSs are fabricated with the help of a process involving stirring and ultrasonication. The results reveal that the incorporation of BNNSs leads to enhancement of thermal conductivity of the nanocomposites and it increases with an increase in the loading of BNNSs. The increase in thermal conductivity is 1.93 W/mK with 15 weight % of BNNSs, that is ~ 865% improvement over the pure epoxy. Also, an approximately 123% increase in dielectric constant has been observed. These results demonstrate the potential of BNNSs as nano-fillers in preparing epoxy nanocomposites with better thermal management and energy storage capacity.

Graphical Abstract