Improved Thermal Property of a Multilayered Graphite Nanoplatelets Filled Silicone Resin Composite

We produced graphite nanoplatelets (GNP)/silicone resin composites at various loadings. The utilized GNPs were characterized by two-dimensional structure with high aspect ratio (~1810), and the GNP with approximately 10-30 nm thickness and 10-50 µm in length evenly dispersed throughout the resin matrix, which enables that GNPs effectively act as thermally conductive medium, thus contributed considerably to the formation of an efficient three-dimensional network for heat flow. The thermal conductivities of 5, 10, 15, and 20 wt.% GNP composite were 0.35, 1.02, 1.32, and 2.01 W/(m K), and were ca. 0.9, 4.7, 6.3, and 10.2 times higher than that of silicone resin at room temperature, respectively. The thermal conductivity decreased with elevated temperature in 25-200 °C, which was reminiscent at higher loading. Differential scanning calorimeter analysis showed that GNP addition increased the curing temperature of silicone resin from 90 to 119 °C, probably by hindering the free movement (mobility) of the silicone chains. The result showed that the GNP not only reduced the CTE but also improved the thermal stability of composite simultaneously.