Abstract
Polyethylene (PE) are in demand for electrical insulation and thermal management applications; however, their low mechanical and thermal properties pose major challenges. Herein, we report on novel properties of PE-boron nitride (BN) nanocomposites prepared by melt compounding followed by injection molding. The thermal and mechanical properties of silane-functionalized (sBN) and non-functionalized (pBN) PE-BN nanocomposites were studied in order to assess the role of silane functional groups at the interface of BN nanosheets and PE matrix. In comparison with PE materials, addition of 5 wt % BN nanosheets increases tensile modulus of elasticity by 37 and 42%, flexural modulus of elasticity by 24 and 30%, tensile strength by 15 and 27%, and storage modulus by 80 and 91% for pBN and sBN nanocomposites, respectively. Besides mechanical reinforcement, thermal and thermomechanical properties were evaluated for PE-BN nanocomposites. While thermal stability of PE-pBN and PE-sBN nanocomposites was comparable, coefficient of thermal expansion was decreased by 12 and 20% at 5 wt % pBN and sBN nanosheets, respectively. These polymer nanocomposites with enhanced mechanical and thermal properties can be an excellent choice for application in insulation materials, including thermal interface layers in electronic devices.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Article number | 108631 |
| Journal | Composites Science and Technology |
| Volume | 204 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Mar 1 2021 |
Funding
This project is financially supported by Ford Motor Company. The efforts of R. Rojaee, S. Sharifi-Asl, and T. Foroozan were supported partially through NSF DMR-1809439 and NSF CBET-1805938. The fabrication of polymer nanocomposites and part of mechanical characterizations were carried out at Ford Research and Innovation Center, Dearborn, MI. Parts of the characterization works were carried out at the Soft Matter Characterization Facility of the University of Chicago, and Northwestern University Atomic and Nanoscale Characterization Experimental Center (NUANCE) of the Northwestern University. This work also made use of the JEOL JEM-ARM200CF in the Electron Microscopy Core of UIC's Research Resources Center and IMSERC facility at Northwestern University. Babak Arfaei would like to thank the Polymers and EESE teams at Ford, specially Matthew Volpone, for providing valuable feedback. The authors acknowledge Aptiv Co. in Warren, OH for providing samples. The authors also acknowledged insightful discussion with Dr. Philip J. Griffin at SMCF lab of the University of Chicago, Dr. Tamrakar Sandeep, and their team at the Research and Innovation Center of Ford Motor Company, and Dr. Xinqi Chen at Northwestern University for their valuable discussions. This project is financially supported by Ford Motor Company . The efforts of R. Rojaee, S. Sharifi-Asl, and T. Foroozan were supported partially through NSF DMR-1809439 and NSF CBET-1805938. The fabrication of polymer nanocomposites and part of mechanical characterizations were carried out at Ford Research and Innovation Center, Dearborn, MI. Parts of the characterization works were carried out at the Soft Matter Characterization Facility of the University of Chicago, and Northwestern University Atomic and Nanoscale Characterization Experimental Center (NUANCE) of the Northwestern University. This work also made use of the JEOL JEM-ARM200CF in the Electron Microscopy Core of UIC's Research Resources Center and IMSERC facility at Northwestern University. Babak Arfaei would like to thank the Polymers and EESE teams at Ford, specially Matthew Volpone, for providing valuable feedback. The authors acknowledge Aptiv Co. in Warren, OH for providing samples. The authors also acknowledged insightful discussion with Dr. Philip J. Griffin at SMCF lab of the University of Chicago, Dr. Tamrakar Sandeep, and their team at the Research and Innovation Center of Ford Motor Company, and Dr. Xinqi Chen at Northwestern University for their valuable discussions.
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Ceramics and Composites
- General Engineering