Ionic liquid crystal-induced boron nitride/carbon nanotube dough with shapeability and redispersibility for efficient thermal management

Abstract Boron nitride nanosheets (BNNS) and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) composite hybrid materials have garnered significant attention in the field of thermal management. However, conventional approaches for fabricating BNNS/CNT hybrids often result in structural defects, limited solid content, and poor redispersibility, thereby restricting scalable processing and practical applications. In this study, we propose a simple, non-destructive and scalable assembly strategy using ionic liquid crystals (ILC) to construct BNNS/CNT hybrid fillers with strong interfacial bonding. The BNNS-ILC-CNT composite hybrid undergoes the transformation from a dispersion, slurry, or gel to dough through multiple noncovalent interactions, including cation-π interactions, electrostatic attraction, and hydrogen bonding. When the BNNS-ILC-CNT hybrid is incorporated into the aramid nanofiber network, this composite filler significantly enhances the thermal conductivity (13.2 ± 0.9 W m −1 K − 1 ) of the composite paper, enabling rapid and stable Joule heating effects while exhibiting photothermal response characteristics. In addition, the BNNS-ILC-CNT composite dough exhibits excellent storage stability, remaining uniformly dispersible in water even after 100 days of storage. This study offers a novel perspective for preparing high-concentration BNNS/CNT composite fillers and provides a highly promising strategy for developing multifunctional polymer composites suitable for advanced thermal management applications.