Thermal conductivity of polypropylene filled with inorganic particles

Boron and aluminium nitride, as well as carbon materials, were used as fillers for polypropylene to increase its thermal conductivity. Better thermal conductivity was observed for samples filled with nanosized BN. All composites show thermal stability up to 250 degrees C. Filling of polypropylene was shown to affect crystallinity degree, adding of BN and carbon nanotubes results in the increase in crystallinity of polypropylene. It was observed that BN forms chemical bonds with polymer matrix, whereas no evidence of such bonds was found in case of polypropylene filled with AlN particles. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.