Incorporation of nanodiamond into an epoxy polymer network with high thermal conductivity for electrical insulations

Electrical insulation materials with high thermal conductivity can protect equipment from heat fault and extend the working life of polymeric components. A nanodiamond/epoxy polymer network was developed based on surface modification of the nanodiamond. A simple oxidation strategy was used to modify the surface functional groups of the nanodiamond which were then mixed with epoxy resin in solution. The FTIR data provided clean evidence of the changes on the surface of the nanodiamond. The thermal conductivity of the composites increased by 36% with 20 wt% nanodiamond. The volume resistances of the composites were nearly the same as the original epoxy resin and the dielectric strengths of the composites decreased only by 9.7%. Thus, this nanodiamond/epoxy composite material with high thermal conductivity can be applied in a range of insulation applications at high temperatures.