Abstract
Boron nitride is a ceramic material with several useful properties that make it economically important in advanced materials applications. For example, it is electrically insultating and thermally conducting in its graphic (h-BN) form. The microelectronics industry is currently looking for such materials for use in integrated circuit molding compounds, underfills and liquid encapsulants where high heat dissipation, high resistivity and low thermal shock are key design requirements. Unfortunately, despite ideal physical properties, it is not possible to make pure BN coatings on electronic components without use of high synthetic process temperatures ( > 1200 deg C). As a result, the application of BN in thermal management designs has been retarded. There is a need then to find ways to obtain the ceramic-like properties of BN without the use of high process temperatures. One possible approach would entail the formation of BN/organic polymer composites that could then be applied to electronic components by using standard polymer processing methods. Several groups have investigated the preparation of BN/epoxy composites, and BN /benzoxazine composites for such applications. In the course of these studies commercial platelet BN particles have been used to prepare the composites. In some cases unfavorable composite viscosities have been encountered. In an effort to overcome this problem, our group has been examining methods to prepare alternate morphology BN particles that process better in polymer matrices and approaches to modify the surface chemistry of BN particles.