Measurement of thermal conductivity of high-density polyethylene/graphite nanocomposite by hot disk method

In this study, thermal conductivity of nanocomposites formed by high density polyethylene (HDPE) matrix and graphite powder (400 nm average size) conductive filling material were investigated. Nanocomposites containing up to 16 volume percent of graphite filler material were prepared by mixing them in a Brabender Plasticorder. Thermal conductivity of HDPE/graphite nanocomposites were measured using transient plane source technique and the results obtained were compared with the theoretical models for two component materials. It may be noticed that up to 6% volume of graphite filler, Russell model predicted the thermal conductivity best. Also, the surface morphology of the polymer nanocomposites was investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) for different magnifications, the graphite particles were dispersed almost homogenously in polymer matrix