Thermal conductivity of epoxy resins filled with MWCNT and hydrotalcite clay: Experimental data and theoretical predictive modeling

In this work, the effect of hydrotalcite clay on the thermal conductivity of epoxy resin filled with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) has been studied. Thermal and morphological experiments show that the presence of hydrotalcite clay in a mesh of carbon nanotubes gives rise to aggregates and twisted bundles, resulting in a lower thermal conductivity of epoxy nanocomposites. Simple model for evaluation of the thermal conductivity of the composites is presented as analytical function of volume fraction, anisotropic thermal conductivities, aspect ratio, non-straightness, and interfacial thermal resistance of the CNTs. The model predictions agree very well with the measured thermal conductivities of epoxy nanocomposites and confirm the hypothesis that the presence of a clay in a mesh of nanotubes results in a lower elongation of CNT.