Review on powder technologies for hexagonal boron nitride/polymer composites with high thermal conductivities

Abstract

With the rapid development of electronic device performances, it is crucial to provide an efficient heat removal in electronic devices. For thermal management, ceramic particle/polymer composite materials with high thermal conductivities are of interest. Recently, hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) particles and related composite materials have been intensely studied due to the excellent properties of hBN particles. The shape and orientation of the hBN particles affect the properties of the composite materials because hBN is a plate-like particle and has an anisotropic thermal conductivity. This article provides an overview of powder technologies of hBN particles, such as exfoliation, granulation, and composition with nanofibers, for high thermal conductivities of composite materials. Furthermore, I discuss the fabrication processes and thermal properties of hBN/polymer composite materials potentially applicable in thermal interface materials.