Homogeneously dispersed urchin-structured Fe3O4 with graphitic carbon spines inside poly(vinylidene fluoride) for efficient thermal conduction

Noteworthy improvements of functional composite materials that combine excellent thermal conductivity and superior mechanical strength have induced the rapid development of thermal management technology. However, the frustrating dispersion of fillers leads to phonon scattering, thereby hindering the thermal conduction in the polymer matrix . This study reports an urchin-structured filler that is obtained via hydrothermal synthesis and subsequent graphitic carbon coating and its application in thermally conductive composites. The obtained composites exhibit high thermal conductivity at low filler loadings (2.306 W/m·K, 5 wt%) and excellent stability of the thermal conductivity with the change of the operating temperature. The high thermal conductivity is attributed to the improved dispersibility of the urchin-structured filler according to Agari's model. This work paves a new way for the synthesis of reinforced fillers in thermally conductive composites.