Effect of dispersion state of carbon nanotube on the thermal conductivity of poly(dimethyl siloxane) composites

Herein, the effect of dispersion uniformity of multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) on the thermal conductivity of poly(dimethyl siloxane) (PDMS) composites was investigated by comparing experimentally obtained and calculated results based on simple models. Two different MWCNTs, i.e., raw and oxidized/masterbatched MWCNTs, were used and compared. For raw MWCNT, the dispersion in PDMS was poor, resulting in the significant reduction in the aspect ratio of MWCNT. However, for composites using masterbatched MWCNT, the thermal conductivity was always about 10% greater than those prepared with raw MWCNT and the aspect ratio calculated by the model equation was also 1.7 times greater. Above 1.5 phr masterbatched MWCNT concentrations, the aspect ratio of 430 was maintained. Finally, the results suggest that the thermal conductivity can be correlated with the degree of dispersion and aspect ratio obtained from the model equation used.