Material Design Utilizing Solubility for Enhancing the Functionality of Composite Materials

A study conducted by Yumi Inagaki et al. was published in the ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces.

The heat sink plate for automotive use requires not only high thermal conductivity but also mechanical properties that can withstand assembly. Materials that incorporate boron nitride (BN) with high thermal conductivity into resin demonstrate superior heat dissipation performance; however, achieving compatibility with mechanical properties has been a challenge.
In this study, a composite material was designed and developed based on the Hansen solubility parameters (HSP) of BN and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) with a focus on improving mechanical properties and enhancing compatibility between BN and PMMA. By introducing nitrile groups into PMMA to enhance the affinity with the surface functional groups of BN, the resulting BN-PMMA composite maintained high thermal characteristics while improving mechanical properties. Analysis showed an "interface enrichment effect" where the functional groups with high affinity to the surface functional groups of the counterpart material preferentially appeared on the surface, leading to an enhancement in adhesion between PMMA and BN. This methodology represents an easily applicable yet valuable material design technique with the potential to realize high-performance composite materials.

Title: Enhancement of Mechanical Properties of High-thermal-conductivity Composites Comprising Boron Nitride and Poly(methyl methacrylate) Resin through Material Design Utilizing Hansen Solubility Parameters
Authors: Inagaki, Y., Murase, M., Tanaka, H., Nakamura, D.
Journal Name: ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
Published: May 9, 2024
https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.4c00626