The thermal conductivity of Al(OH)3 covered MWCNT/epoxy terminated dimethyl polysiloxane composite based on analytical Al(OH)3 covered MWCNT

Aluminum-hydroxide-covered multi-walled carbon nanotubes (A-MWCNT) were fabricated as a thermally conductive material. The thermal conductivity of A-MWCNT was estimated based on Casimir theory. The effective thermal conductivity of A-MWCNT was estimated at about ∼26 W/mK. The thermal conductivity of A-MWCNT/epoxy-terminated polydimethylsiloxane (ETDS) composite was examined as a function of A-MWCNT loading, and the results showed the maximum value at 1.5 wt% of A-MWCNT loading, above which it decreased slightly. The effective medium approximation (EMA) developed by Maxwell-Garnett (M-G) was used to analyze the thermal conducting behavior of the composite. The experimental results showed negative deviation from the expected thermal conductivity, ke, beyond 1.5 wt% of A-MWCNT loading, because the composites containing A-MWCNT were strongly affected by interfacial resistance. The interfacial resistance value calculated from M-G approximation increased when filler loading was higher than 1.5 wt% because of the folded and partially agglomerated A-MWCNT along with insufficient interfacial interactions.