Enhanced thermal conductivity of silicone rubber via synergistic effects of polydopamine modification and silver deposition on boron nitride

It is great significance to develop polymeric composites with effective heat dissipation and high electrical insulation for devices in electronics fabrication. Herein, we fabricated silicone rubber (SR) composites with large thermal conductivity (TC) and high electrical insulation by utilizing the synergistic effects of polydopamine (PDA) modification and Ag nanoparticles deposition on the surface of BN sheets, denoted as BN-PDA-Ag/SR composites. Finally, the fabricated BN-PDA-Ag/SR composite at a filler content of 30 vol% exhibited a TC up to 0.75 W/(mK), which was about 5.76 times of pure SR, while it holded a low AC conductivity of 1.89 × 10^-11 S/cm at 100 Hz. Overall, the synergistic effects of PDA modification and Ag deposition on BN sheets proposed in this work is an easy and eco-friendly avenue for the preparation of high-performance thermally conductive and insulating polymeric composites for advance electronic equipments.