Novel aramid paper-based materials with enhanced thermal conductivity via ZnO nanowire decoration on aramid fibers

The synthesis of ZnO nanowires (NWs) on aramid fiber (AF) surface via a facile in situ hydrothermal method was studied and the as-obtained AFs@ZnO NWs acting as the thermal conductive fiber fillers in the fabrication of aramid paper-based materials by wet-forming process were also investigated. SEM showed a dense and uniform ZnO NWs layer with vertical alignment was well established on surface of AFs. EDS and XRD characterization further confirmed the formation of ZnO NWs on AFs surface. Compared with the pristine paper, the composite paper exhibited better thermal conductivity increased by 129% from 0.0867 to 0.1985 W/m K and kept good insulating properties inherent to aramid paper. The excellent thermal conductivity of aramid paper was mainly attributed to the effective heat conduction networks formed by the AFs@ZnO NWs within the aramid paper. This study proposed an innovative way to fabricate fibrous thermally conductive filler, which effectively improved the dispersion, retention of fillers and interfacial bonding between fillers and fibers.