Wet Spinning of BNNS/ANF Composite Thermal Conductive and Electrically Insulating Fibers

ZHANG Jing; LU Chang; HE Jianxin; GUO Yingjian

doi:10.3969/j.issn.1674-6457.2026.10.002

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Journal of Netshape Forming Engineering ›› 2026, Vol. 18 ›› Issue (10) : 11-19. DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1674-6457.2026.10.002

Composites Forming

Wet Spinning of BNNS/ANF Composite Thermal Conductive and Electrically Insulating Fibers

ZHANG Jing¹, LU Chang^1,*, HE Jianxin², GUO Yingjian³

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Abstract

The work aims to propose a sol-gel wet spinning technique to fabricate boron nitride/aramid (BNNS/ANF) composite thermally conductive filaments with a structured three-dimensional (3D) heat-transfer network, so as to address the growing demand for fiber materials with high thermal conductivity, robust electrical insulation, and excellent mechanical properties in flexible electronics, wearable technology, and personal thermal management systems. Aramid nanofibers (ANF) were employed as the matrix, while boron nitride nanosheets (BNNS) were synthesized via hydrothermal intercalation and ball milling. The BNNSs were further grafted and modified with branched polyethyleneimine (BPEI) to enhance their dispersibility and interfacial compatibility. Graphene nanosheets (GN) were introduced as bridging fillers to enhance the interfacial interactions among thermally conductive components, thereby improving the mechanical and thermal properties of the fibers. A continuous three-dimensional thermal conduction network was constructed within the fibers via sol-gel wet spinning, Cu²⁺ ionic crosslinking, and subsequent wet drawing treatment. The experimental results demonstrated that the composite fibers, produced under optimized processing conditions, exhibited superior performance. At a BNNS loading of 30wt% and a GN content of 0.2wt%, the composite fibers achieved an axial tensile strength of 105.9 MPa, an axial thermal conductivity of 9.2 W/(m·K), and a volumetric resistivity of 1×10¹³ Ω·cm. Cooling performance tests using an LED chip as the heat source revealed that the composite fiber fabric effectively reduced the LED surface temperature from 47.0 ℃ (when using cotton fabric) to 44.8 ℃, highlighting its significant potential for thermal management. In conclusion, the sol-gel wet spinning strategy developed in this study provides a viable pathway for the fabrication of composite fibers that balance high thermal conductivity with excellent electrical insulation. These fibers hold broad application prospects in fields such as heat dissipation for flexible electronics, personal thermal management, and smart textiles, providing insights into the structural design and processing of high-performance functional fibers.

Key words

sol-gel wet spinning / boron nitride nanosheets / aramid nanofibers / composite fibers / three-dimensional thermally conductive network

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ZHANG Jing, LU Chang, HE Jianxin, GUO Yingjian. Wet Spinning of BNNS/ANF Composite Thermal Conductive and Electrically Insulating Fibers[J]. Journal of Netshape Forming Engineering. 2026, 18(10): 11-19 https://doi.org/10.3969/j.issn.1674-6457.2026.10.002

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