In this research article, a poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS)-based composite was postulated adapting an interactive ternary filler system consisting of Al2O3, hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN), and boron nitride nanotubes (BNNT) to construct a continuous three-dimensional (3D) structure for thermal attenuation. Al2O3 was imposed as a main filler, while h-BN and BNNT were assimilated to form interconnected heat conduction pathways for effective thermal dissipation. The structured framework articulates a profound improvement in isotropic thermal conductivity considering both axial and radial heat dissipation. The presence of h-BN entails uniform heat distribution in a planar mode, eliminating the occurrence of hotspots, while BNNT constructed a connecting phonon pathway in various directions, which insinuates effective overall thermal transport. The generated ternary filler composites attained an isotropic ratio of 1.35 and a thermal conductivity of 7.50 W/mK, which is a 36-fold (∼3650%) increase compared to neat PDMS resin and almost 3-fold (∼297%) that of the Al2O3 unary filler composite and ∼53% that of its binary counterpart, partaking interfacial thermal gaps of ∼36.15 and ∼62.24% on practical heating performance relative to its counterparts. Moreover, the incorporation of BNNT on a traditional spherical and planar filler offers an advantage not only in thermal conductivity but also in thermal and structural stability. Improvement in thermal stability is stipulated due to a melting point (Tm) shift of ∼11 °C upon the assimilation of BNNT. Mechanical permeance reinforcement was also observed with the presence of BNNT, showcasing a 31.5% increase in tensile strength and a 53% increase in Young's modulus relative to the singular filler composite. This exploration administers a new insight into heat dissipation phenomena in polymeric composites and proposes a simple approach to their design and assembly.
© 2023 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.