INTHERM project addressed the design, manufacturing and control of interfaces in thermally conductive polymer/graphene nanocomposites. In particular, the reduction of thermal resistance associated to the contacts between conductive particles in a percolating network throughout the polymer matrix was targeted, to overcome the main bottleneck for heat transfer in nanocomposites and obtain lightweight materials with higher efficiency in heat transfer, with potential application is a number of heat exchanger devices, eventually contributing to the research and development efforts in energy saving, energy recovery an emission reductions.
The project included the investigation of novel chemical modifications of nanoparticles to build thermal molecular junctions, behaving as thermal bridges between adjacent particles as well as the research for advanced characterization methods for particle/particle interfaces and controlled processing methods for the preparations of nanocomposites with superior thermal conductivity.
The manufacturing of molecular junctions was successfully obtained, leading to significant enhancements in both in-plane e and cross-plane thermal conductivity of the networks of nanoparticles, thus validating the fundamental concept of INTHERM. Beside molecular junctions, the effect of local crystallization of polymers on the surface of graphene related materials was also demonstrated to enhance remarkably the quality of thermal contacts, thus providing an additional route for the design and obtainment of efficient heat transfer in nanocomposites.
The implementation of INTHERM principles in different polymer, preparation methods and nanostructured materials formulation lead to the development of a range of lightweight, tough and flexible materials, with thermal conductivity up to 200 W/mK, effectively bridging properties domains of conventional polymers and thermally conductive inorganics.
