Ultra-low dielectric loss and high thermal conductivity of PTFE composites improved by schistose and globular alumina

Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) based microwave dielectric composite has been widely used because of its adjustable dielectric constant and low dielectric loss, but its low thermal conductivity can not meet the heat dissipation requirements of high-power microwave devices. Therefore, it is of great significance to develop microwave dielectric composites with high thermal conductivity and low loss. In order to obtain microwave composite materials with high thermal conductivity and low losses, schistose Al₂O₃/PTFE (S-A/PTFE) composites and globular Al₂O₃/PTFE (G-A/PTFE) composites were successfully prepared. It is compared whether S-A can combine with PTFE more fully than G-A, which can promote the dielectric properties and thermal conductivity of Al₂O₃/PTFE composites. Surprisingly, the S-A/PTFE composites demonstrate higher thermal conductivity, lower thermal expansion and hygroscopic properties. The S-A/PTFE composites can deliver a high thermal conductivity of 0.986 W/m K. Composite substrates with 53 wt% S-A filler exhibits excellent performance, which specifically show credible dielectric constant (ε_r = 4.01) and admissible dielectric loss (tanδ = 0.0014 at 10 GHz). Furthermore, the composite substrate shows a similar thermal expansion coefficient to copper, and lower water absorption rate (0.05 %). The relationship between dielectric constant of composite and filler was predicted by different theoretical modeling methods.