EFFECT OF FILLER CONTENT ON ENHANCEMENT OF THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY OF ALIGNED POLYMER GRAPHENE NANOCOMPOSITES

In this work a systematic study of the effect of increment of filler content on enhancement of thermal conductivity(k) of aligned polymer-graphene nanocomposites has been conducted. Using Angstrom Method, it is found that aligned graphene nanoplatelets (GnPs) significantly increase the heat-conducting properties of pure polyethylene (PE) compared to randomly oriented nanoplatelets. The increment in amount of GnPs from 9 weight% to 13 weight% is studied. A combination of melt extrusion processing and compression molding is used to obtain an even dispersion of the filler in the polymer matrix. Alignment of PE and GnPs is observed through confocal laser scanning microscopy. Comparison with effective medium theory reveals the measured thermal conductivity enhancement to be larger than theoretical predictions. Cause of this discrepancy between measurement and theory will be discussed.