Highly Thermoconductive Polymer Nanocomposite with a Nanoporous α-Alumina Sheet

A highly thermoconductive insulative polymer nanocomposite with a nanoporous alpha-alumina sheet was reported. The thermal conductivity of the nanocomposite along the surface normal was 12 W m(-1) K(-1) (41 vol % alumina), a value as high as that predicted theoretically for a nanocomposite with thermoconductive fillers that form a perfectly connected thermoconductive network. The high thermal conductivity is probably due to the continuous alpha-alumina phase that functions as an efficient phonon path in the nanocomposite. The results suggest that the structure of the filler is important for the design of highly thermoconductive materials.