Dense and thermally conductive SUS316-based composites containing AlN whiskers fabricated via spark plasma sintering

• Dense SUS316/AlN whisker composites were fabricated by spark plasma sintering. • Thermal conductivity increased with AlN content, reaching 27 W m −1 K −1 at 30 vol%. • XRD and SEM-EDS confirmed AlN coexistence with SUS316 without reaction. • AlN whisker facilitated the formation of efficient thermal conduction pathways. In this study, thermally conductive SUS316-based composites containing 0–30 vol% aluminum nitride (AlN) whiskers were fabricated via spark plasma sintering (SPS) at 1000 °C, and their microstructures and thermal conductivities were evaluated. The SPS-fabricated composites exhibited near-full densification (relative density >97.5 %), and the thermal conductivity increased with AlN whisker content, reaching 27 W m −1 K −1 at 30 vol%. SEM-EDS and XRD analyses confirmed that AlN whiskers remained chemically stable, with no detectable reactions occurring between AlN and the alloying elements in SUS316