Thermal and electrical properties of aluminoborosilicate glass-ceramics containing multiwalled carbon nanotubes

We report the effects of multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) dispersions (≤15 wt.%) on the electrical and thermal conductivities of an aluminoborosilicate glass-ceramic. The electrical conductivity was improved by a factor of ∼106 and the thermal conductivity by ∼70%. The uniform MWCNT distribution achieved with up to 10 wt.% MWCNT resulted in a relatively high electrical percolation threshold. Thermal conductivity was limited by the low thermal conductivities of the CVD MWCNTs, length reduction during processing and interfacial resistance. © 2011 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved