Synthesis of Hexagonal Boron Nitride Nanocrystals and Their Application to Thermally Conductive Composites

육방정 질화붕소 나노입자 합성 및 열전도성 복합체 응용

Much attention has been paid to thermally conductive materials for efficient heat dissipation of electronic devices to maintain their functionality and to support lifetime span. Hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN), which has a high thermal conductivity, is one of the most suitable materials for thermally conductive composites. In this study, we synthesize h-BN nanocrystals by pyrolysis of cost-effective precursors, boric acid, and melamine. Through pyrolysis at $900^{\circ}C$ and subsequent annealing at $1500^{\circ}C$, h-BN nanoparticles with diameters of ~80 nm are synthesized. We demonstrate that the addition of small amounts of Eu-containing salts during the preparation of melamine borate precursors significantly enhanced the crystallinity of h-BN. In particular, addition of Eu assists the growth of h-BN nanoplatelets with diameters up to ~200 nm. Polymer composites containing both spherical $Al_2O_3$ (70 vol%) and Eu-doped h-BN nanoparticles (4 vol%) show an enhanced thermal conductivity (${\lambda}{\sim}1.72W/mK$), which is larger than the thermal conductivity of polymer composites containing spherical $Al_2O_3$ (70 vol%) as the sole fillers (${\lambda}{\sim}1.48W/mK$).