New rubber composite material: thermal conductivity comparable to metal, soft as rubber

In recent years, soft thermal management materials exhibiting high heat dissipation properties, such as thermal interlayer materials and heat sinks for flexible electronic devices, have attracted much attention. In addition to high thermal conductivity, these materials also require mechanical properties such as low Young's modulus, high tensile strength, and high toughness. Therefore, as the next generation of thermally conductive flexible materials, flexible rubber materials and composite materials of CNF and CNT with high thermal conductivity have been vigorously researched and developed.

Nanofibers (Celluouse Nanofibers, CNF) are made of cellulose (Celluouse) after nano-processing (ultra-micronization), and have the characteristics of "lightness, toughness and environmental protection". The reason why CNF is getting attention is because of one of its properties - "it is one-fifth the weight of steel, but more than five times stronger than steel". When mixed into resins and rubbers, lightweight, high-strength auto parts can be made.

Carbon nanotube CNT is a tube (multi-walled carbon nanotube) formed by coaxially winding a single-layer graphite into a tube (single-walled carbon nanotube) or a single-walled carbon nanotube along the coaxial layer. The diameter of carbon nanotubes is generally between one and several tens of nanometers, and the length is much larger than its diameter. It has many extraordinary physical properties (mechanical, electrical, thermal) and chemical properties, and is a one-dimensional carbon nanomaterial. As the material with the best mechanical properties discovered so far, carbon nanotubes have high tensile strength, Young's modulus and fracture strain.