Synergistic effect of carbon nanotubes and wood-derived carbon scaffold on natural rubber-based high-performance thermally conductive composites

Abstract Construction of three-dimensional (3D) heat-conductive network in polymer matrix is essential to effectively transport heat in thermal management materials, but the preparation process remains challenging. In this study, a continuous 3D interconnected filler network was designed and fabricated by incorporating 1D carbon nanotubes (CNT) into 3D wood-derived carbon scaffold (CS), using natural rubber (NR) as a model matrix. The CS/CNT/NR composite exhibited high thermal conductivity (1.1 W m−1 K−1) at 1.67 vol% CNT loading, corresponding to high specific thermal conductivity enhancement (TCE) of 444 %. Importantly, a synergistic effect between CS and CNT was revealed, which played a pivotal role in forming the heat percolation network. These results demonstrate that CS/CNT/NR composite has potential applications in the field of thermal management materials. Compared with similar NR-based thermal management materials, the unique 3D interconnected structure of CS/CNT/NR composite ensures high-speed heat transport. Moreover, the use of biomass materials is an effort devoted for promoting renewable materials and sustainable environment. This work provides new insights into the biomimetic design of efficient 3D filler structure and expands the utilization of wood structure in thermal management materials for efficient heat dissipation.