Alkali-assisted functionalization of hexagonal boron nitride reinforced epoxy composite to improve the thermomechanical and anticorrosion performance for advanced thermal management

Abstract

A comprehensive methodology for fabricating and characterizing the tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) modified exfoliated boron nitride (eBN) reinforced epoxy resin (EP) composites has been demonstrated. The functionalized eBN was synthesized by solution-mixing followed by alkali-assisted hydrothermal reaction. The composites with various filler loadings (0, 5, 10, and 15 wt.%) were fabricated using solution casting method. The fundamental features of the composites were examined through tensile and bending properties, thermal properties, and anticorrosion properties. The synthesized TEOS-eBN was utilized to improve the dispersibility and compatibility with the EP resin, which played a crucial role in improving the thermal conductivity as well as thermomechanical properties of the composites. The incorporation of filler in the EP matrix improved the thermomechanical as well as anticorrosion properties. The tensile and flexural tests were carried out according to ASTM D-638 and ASTM-D790, respectively. We discovered that the 5 wt.% of TEOS-eBN in EP showed the optimum thermomechanical properties. The tensile strength and Tg were improved by ~74.71 and ~16.8% at 5 wt.% loading. The improved thermomechanical and anticorrosion properties of all the composites showed the potential to be efficient heat-releasing material for thermal management and coating applications in automotive industries. Highlights: Tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS)-exfoliated boron nitride (eBN) was synthesized by alkali-assisted hydrothermal and solution mixing method. The composite specimens exhibited excellent thermal conductivity. The thermomechanical and anticorrosion performance were remarkably improved. Optimal thermomechanical properties were obtained at 5% filler content.