Boron Nitride Nanotubes for Heat Dissipation in Polycaprolactone Composites

This article describes the synthesis of nanocomposites for the fabrication of printable filaments of interest for additive manufacturing. Boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) stand out from several nanofillers for the improvement of heat dissipation from polycaprolactone (PCL) nanocomposites. At 30 wt % BNNT content, a 4-fold increase of the heat conductivity was measured compared to pristine PCL. However, such loadings alter the rheological properties in the molten state, rendering the nanocomposite unprocessable by fused filament fabrication (FFF) printers. At lower loading (i.e., 10 wt %), a trade-off was achieved, allowing improved heat dissipation performance and easy processability. This was exemplified through a 3D printed radiator as a proof of concept. The approach described herein could enable the development of high performance heat dissipation filaments for FFF fabrication processes.