Preparation and characterization of thermally-conductive silane-treated silicon nitride filled polybenzoxazine nanocomposites

A new kind of thermally-conductive polymer nanocomposite was produced by reinforcing the typical polybenzoxazine matrix P(BA-a) with silane-treated Si3N4 nanopartides using a compression molding technique. By adding 0 to 70% nano-Si3N4, the nanocomposite's thermal conductivity was enhanced from 0.18 to 5.78 W/m K. Based on the analyzed morphology, the Si3N4 nanoparticles tend to form continuous conductive chains within the polybenzoxazine matrix, which are responsible for the improved thermal conductivity of the polybenzoxazine resin. Also, these new nanocomposites exhibited improved dielectric, coefficient of thermal expansion, and flexural properties. The thermal stability of these materials significantly improved upon the addition of the nano-Si3N4 fillers. Their unique thermal and dielectric properties make them suitable for microelectronic packaging applications. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.