Bioinspired Hoya carnosa-structured Al2O3/Soybean oil epoxy nanocomposites for high performance thermal interface materials

Developing thermally conductive and dielectric polymeric composites is one of the critical drivers in upgrading integrated electronic devices. Herein, polydopamine and silver nanoparticles functionalized Al 2 O 3 ( f -Al 2 O 3 ) with a bionic “ Hoya carnosa flower” structure were prepared, and bifunctional nanocomposites were fabricated by using the f -Al 2 O 3 and soybean oil-based epoxy with a solvent-free method. Morphology and microstructure analyses of the nanocomposites suggested that not only the dispersion of fillers was promoted, but also the fillers/matrix interface compatibility was optimized significantly. In addition to the role as the “bridge” for enhancing thermal conduction and reducing interfacial thermal resistance, silver nanoparticles also inhibit electron migration and suppress the interfacial space charge accumulation. As-prepared nanocomposites thus exhibited a high TC of 0.73 W m −1  K −1 , superior dielectric properties (dielectric constant and dielectric loss are ∼3.9 and 0.03, respectively), and outstanding tensile strength (8.45 ± 0.63 MPa) and elongation at break (∼40 %). Furthermore, interfacial adhesion experiments and theoretical simulation results demonstrated that as-prepared nanocomposites presented great potential in advanced thermal interface packaging. This work offers a versatile approach and provides a new paradigm for the design and fabrication of thermally conductive and dielectric polymer composites derived from vegetable oils.