Nanocomposite fabrics with high content of boron nitride nanotubes for tough and multifunctional composites

Abstract

Herein, we apply a one-step filtration method to obtain boron nitride nanotube (BNNT)-based fabrics incorporating high content of BNNTs and an adhesive thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU). The adsorption behavior of TPU on BNNTs of different qualities and on functionalized BNNTs was evaluated in a two-solvent system and contrasted with carbon nanotubes, pointing to differences in surface interaction. BNNT quality affected not only the nanocomposite mechanical properties but also the trends as a function of increasing TPU content and the adhesion to substrates. Samples containing higher quality BNNT materials showed up to 12-fold improvement in Young’s modulus, while functionalization improved the tensile toughness. Thermal conductivity varied between 1.5 and 3 W m−1 K−1 depending primarily on the BNNT content and without a pronounced effect from the quality of BNNTs. The BNNT-TPU fabric offers a promising format to exploit BNNTs within tough, electrically insulating, thermally conductive materials for heat dissipation within packaging or adhesive materials in electronics.Graphical abstract