Effect of one-dimensional materials on the thermal conductivity of Al2O3/glass composite

Abstract It is attempt to enhance the thermal conductivity of Al2O3/glass by introducing one-dimensional materials into the Al2O3/glass composite which are fired at 850 °C. The influences of AlN whiskers, carbon fibers and copper fibers on the thermal conductivity of Al2O3/30 vol% glass composites were studied by the laser thermal conductance instrument, XRD and SEM. The results show that the adding of one-dimensional materials with excellent thermal conductivity remarkably enhances the thermal property of the composites. The oxidation of AlN or copper was not detected when the composites were sintered at 850 °C with 25 MPa for 45 min in a nitrogen atmosphere. Fibers are more effective to enhance the densification of the composites than the whiskers. The highest value of the thermal conductivity of Al2O3/glass/copper fiber achieves 38.9 W (mK)−1, an increase of about 500%. The clear enhancement of the thermal conductivity is due to the bridging network formed by the one-dimensional materials.