Review on Metal-Filled Plastics. Part 2. Thermal Properties

Abstract Reinforced polymeric materials have been growing in importance, especially in replacing metals and other traditional materials in structural applications. Most of these materials are either glass or carbon fiber composites. Particulate fillers, although they have not been used much for strengthening purposes, are extremely useful for electrical and thermal conductivity applications, especially with metals as fillers. Applications of these metal-filled plastics, their fabrication techniques, the role of the fillers in reinforcement, their compatability with the matrix phase, and the historical background of the development of plastic composites have been reviewed in Part 1 recently [1]. In this part of the review, the thermal properties of the metal-filled particulate composites are discussed. Before going into details of the properties, it is important to discuss the role of filler-plastic adhesion, which practically controls all the physicomechanical properties of the final composite.