Emerging advances in thermal conductivity of polymeric nanoarchitectures

ABSTRACT

Thermal conductivity or heat dissipation of polymeric matrices is critical thermal feature for both polymeric applications as well as process strategies. Polymeric matrices display intrinsic lower heat dissipation in comparison to metallic or ceramic substrates, and hence are good heat insulating materials. As a result of increasing power densities in energy storage, electronics, aerospace, automobile, information, and communication technologies, thermal conductivity has become critical parameter for effective performance and reliability of optoelectronics, photonic, electronics, as well as other gadgets, so as to proactively hinder early failure attributable to overheating. The synergistic embedment and modification of polymeric matrices using thermally conductive nanoparticulates like ceramic, carbon and metallic nanoparticulates have resulted in the fabrication of thermally conductive polymeric nanoarchitectures, thereby enlarging the scope of usage of these materials in sectors hitherto limited because of inferior thermal conductivity, which has unlocked a vista of opportunities for polymeric nanoarchitectures. Therefore, this paper elucidates most recently emerging trends in thermal conductivity of polymeric nanoarchitectures and multifunctional applications.

Graphical Abstract

KEYWORDS:

• Multifunctional applications
• thermal conductivity of polymeric nanoarchitectures
• thermally conducting nanoparticulates

Acknowledgments

Engr. Dr. Christopher Igwe Idumah, of the Faculty of Engineering, Department of Polymer Engineering is acknowledged for self-sponsoring this work and members of Academic Staff Union of Nigerian Universities (ASUU), for sustaining hunger and impoverishment in the bid to mitigate the standard of education in Nigeria.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Ethical approval

No experiments involving human tissue by an institutional review board or equivalent ethics committee.

Additional information

Funding

No funding is reported.

Notes on contributors

Christopher Igwe Idumah

Dr. Christopher Igwe Idumah holds a first class Ph.D. in Polymer Engineering from the Universiti Teknologi Malaysia and Award of Best Ph.D. at the 57th Convocation of UTM. He holds an M. Eng. from The Manchester University, England, United Kingdom and B.Eng. in Polymer Engineering FUTO, Nigeria. He was trained in Oil and Gas by Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen for ShellPetroleum Development Nigeria in SITP-1. He is presently a Lecturer with UNIZIK Nigeria and had been ranked in World Top 2% Scientist (2020-2022), by Stanford University, USA.