Evaluation of dispersion state and thermal conductivity measurement of carbon nanotubes/UV-curable resin nanocomposites

We describe (i) the evaluation of bundled degrees of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) in SWNT/UV-curable resin composite films based on the intensity change in the radial breading mode (RBM) of their Raman spectra at a 785-nm excitation, and (ii) the thermal conductivity measurements of the composites films using the temperature wave analysis method. The homogeneous dispersion of the SWNTs produced a gradual increase in the thermal conductivity with an increase in the SWNT loading up to 5.0 wt%. This observed behavior is quite different from that of the electric conductivity of the composite films, in which the electric conductivities dramatically decrease at around only a 0.05 wt%-SWNT loading as previously reported.