Trident™ Application Highlight: Monitoring Resin Stability and Filler Sedimentation with MTPS
This document highlights the use of the Modified Transient Plane Source (MTPS) method for monitoring filler sedimentation in thermally conductive resin systems, demonstrating real-time detection of settling via thermal conductivity measurements.
Thermally conductive adhesives are critical for thermal management in advanced electronic systems, particularly EV battery packs where thermal runaway mitigation and performance require effective heat dissipation. Base resin materials typically have low thermal
conductivity (below 0.3 W/m·K). To achieve higher conductivity (above 1 W/m·K), conductive fillers such as alumina and boron nitride are added to the resin matrix. As application volumes scale to EV-level quantities, feedstock containers may hold up to 200 liters of material, and ensuring consistent filler distribution throughout this volume becomes a critical process challenge.
Figure 1. Left) Disorganized polymer chains resulting in phonon scattering (poor thermal conduction). Right) Filled system with improved heat transfer paths (increased thermal conduction)
A column was filled with one component of a two-part resin system containing an alumina filler at different wt% loadings (0, 0.5, 5, and 10 wt%). The column was placed on top of the MTPS sensor, which is exclusively available on the Trident Instrument, and measurements were taken over time at room temperature. The increase in thermal conductivity over time at the bottom of the column was used as a quantitative indicator of filler settling rate and extent.To read more, download the PDF below!