Boosting high-temperature heat transfer of ceramic insulation tile with ordered-conformation boron nitride

BX Zhang and ZX Zhang and SL Rui and LF Wang, JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CERAMIC SOCIETY, 108 (2025).

DOI: 10.1111/jace.20563

Boosting heat transfer of ceramics has been an increasing challenge for spacecraft insulation tile. The concurrent superiorities of higher heat stability and comparative thermal conductivity on par with graphene make boron nitride (h-BN) an ideal reinforcement. Yet, its characteristic of Kapitza thermal resistance inevitably aggravates heat transfer deterioration in aerodynamic in-service environment. Here, we proposed a multiscale optimal approach to boost the heat transfer of Al2O3/h-BN composites with nanoscale interfacial thermal conductance and mesoscale h-BN ordered conformation. Interfacial thermal conductivity induced by a strong 5% Al-N bonding configuration in the densification process is improved from 248 MWm-2K-1 at 300 K to 340 MWm-2K-1 at 1500 K, which depicts a priority of h-BN than graphene in composites. Massive delocalized lower-frequency phonons, an indicator of thermal flutter, are decomposed from localized high-frequency phonon at high temperature. Mesoscale thermal conductivity of composites is increased from 15 Wm-1K-1 of random distribution to 19 Wm-1K-1 of ordered conformation at 1500 K. This optimal design of ordered conformation induced by external field in fabrication process constructs a rapid path of anisotropic thermal converge, and ameliorates heat transfer deterioration of random dispersion. This work provides an effective strategy for designing a novel ceramic insulation tile to extend the remaining life of next-generation spacecraft.

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