Scalable assembly of micron boron nitride into high-temperature-resistant insulating papers with superior thermal conductivity

Abstract

With the rapid development of modern electrical equipment towards miniaturization, integration, and high power, high-temperature-resistant insulating papers with superior thermal conductivity are highly desirable for ensuring the reliability of high-end electrical equipment. However, it remains a challenge for current insulating papers to achieve this goal. Herein, we demonstrate the design of high-temperature-resistant micron boron nitride (m-BN) based insulating papers with superior thermal conductivity by a universal and scalable one-step assembly strategy. Inspired by the floating shape of jellyfish in the ocean, aramid nanofibers (ANF) resembling the tentacles of jellyfish were employed to support the bell-shaped m-BN, which effectively addresses the kinetically stable dispersion and film-forming ability of m-BN. The resultant m-BN@ANF papers exhibit excellent high-temperature-resistant insulating performance with an ultra-high breakdown strength of 359.0 kV mm⁻¹ even at a high temperature of 200 °C, far exceeding those of these previously reported systems. In addition, the optimal m-BN@ANF paper demonstrates a superior thermal conductivity of 26.4 W m⁻¹ K⁻¹ and an excellent thermostability with an initial decomposition temperature of 486 °C. This outstanding comprehensive performance demonstrates the promise of applying these m-BN@ANF papers in advanced electrical systems operating under high-temperature circumstances.