Microphase Rivet‐Reinforced Interfaces in PTFE Composites: Enabling High Thermal Conductivity and Dimensional Stability for High‐Frequency Substrates

ABSTRACT Heat dissipation remains a formidable challenge for polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) based high‐frequency substrates, as the integration of thermally conductive fillers like hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) is often hindered by the intrinsic chemical inertness and ultra‐low surface energy of PTFE. Herein, a soluble fluoroalkyl end‐capped polyimide (FPI) precursor is developed. The amphipathic structure of FPI acts as an intermolecular bridge, facilitating the homogeneous dispersion of hydrophobic hBN within aqueous PTFE emulsions. Upon thermal imidization, in situ microphase “rivet” architectures evolve at the filler‐matrix boundaries, replacing fragile van der Waals contacts with robust, mechanically anchored transitional zones. The topological interlocking significantly restricts the long‐range segmental mobility of PTFE chains, yielding an exceptional thermal conductivity of 2.89 W/m·K (a 7.5‐fold increase) alongside an ultralow copper‐matched coefficient of thermal expansion (12 ppm/K). Remarkably, these breakthroughs are achieved while preserving superior dielectric properties (permittivity D k = 2.52, loss tangent D f = 0.00078 @ 10 GHz). This work establishes a universal and scalable blueprint for fabricating extreme‐performance PTFE substrates tailored for the stringent demands of next‐generation 5G/6G telecommunications.

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Journal
Advanced Materials
Published
2026-06-19
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.73747
Primary Topic
Thermal properties of materials
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

Microphase Rivet‐Reinforced Interfaces in PTFE Composites: Enabling High Thermal Conductivity and Dimensional Stability for High‐Frequency Substrates

Yuting Kong, Hong Wu, R G Chen, Yi Li et al.
Advanced Materials
Thermal properties of materials
article

Microphase Rivet‐Reinforced Interfaces in PTFE Composites: Enabling High Thermal Conductivity and Dimensional Stability for High‐Frequency Substrates

Yuting Kong, Hong Wu, R G Chen, Yi Li, Gao W, Hanyu Guo, Shaoyun Guo, Renke Li
article en

Abstract

ABSTRACT Heat dissipation remains a formidable challenge for polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) based high‐frequency substrates, as the integration of thermally conductive fillers like hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) is often hindered by the intrinsic chemical inertness and ultra‐low surface energy of PTFE. Herein, a soluble fluoroalkyl end‐capped polyimide (FPI) precursor is developed. The amphipathic structure of FPI acts as an intermolecular bridge, facilitating the homogeneous dispersion of hydrophobic hBN within aqueous PTFE emulsions. Upon thermal imidization, in situ microphase “rivet” architectures evolve at the filler‐matrix boundaries, replacing fragile van der Waals contacts with robust, mechanically anchored transitional zones. The topological interlocking significantly restricts the long‐range segmental mobility of PTFE chains, yielding an exceptional thermal conductivity of 2.89 W/m·K (a 7.5‐fold increase) alongside an ultralow copper‐matched coefficient of thermal expansion (12 ppm/K). Remarkably, these breakthroughs are achieved while preserving superior dielectric properties (permittivity D k = 2.52, loss tangent D f = 0.00078 @ 10 GHz). This work establishes a universal and scalable blueprint for fabricating extreme‐performance PTFE substrates tailored for the stringent demands of next‐generation 5G/6G telecommunications.

Advanced Materials
First Affiliated Hospital of Sichuan Medical University (CN), Ingenierie des Materiaux polymeres (FR)
National Natural Science Foundation of China, Department of Science and Technology of Sichuan Province
Openalex Percentile: Top 15%
Thermal properties of materials
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