TY  - JOUR
AU  - Riaz, Muhammad Uzair
AU  - Breitkopf, Cornelia
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/03/09
TI  - Investigating Interfacial Thermal Resistance and Effective Thermal Conductivity in Epoxidized Natural Rubber Composites
JO  - Recent Progress in Science and Engineering
SP  - 003
VL  - 02
IS  - 01
AB  - Effective thermal management in polymeric materials still represents a considerable challenge for emerging applications, such as wearable electronics, soft robotics, and sustainable composite systems, wherein flexibility and environmental compatibility are of utmost importance. This research utilizes non-equilibrium molecular dynamics (NEMD) simulations to examine interfacial thermal resistance (ITR) and effective thermal conductivity (keff) in bio-based PBS-ENR-PBS trilayer systems. Two varieties of epoxidized natural rubber, ENR-25 and ENR-50, with varying epoxide concentrations, are analyzed to clarify the influence of interfacial polarity and chemical reactivity. Interfacial heat transmission is systematically adjusted by including covalent transesterification crosslinks at the PBS-ENR interface, with concentrations ranging from 0 to 50%. Steady-state temperature profiles, heat fluxes, and density-based interface detection are employed to quantify layer-specific conductivities, interfacial temperature discontinuities, and total thermal resistance. The findings indicate that moderate crosslinking significantly improves interfacial phonon coupling and diminishes ITR in ENR-25 systems, but excessive crosslinking results in saturation due to constrained chain mobility. Conversely, ENR-50 demonstrates a faster onset of transport saturation due to its elevated inherent polarity and stiffness. The findings indicate that effective thermal transfer in soft, bio-based polymer interfaces results from a balance of molecular connection and segmental flexibility, offering design principles for thermally efficient elastomeric composites.
SN  - 3067-4573
UR  - https://doi.org/10.21926/rpse.2601003
DO  - 10.21926/rpse.2601003
ID  - Riaz2026
ER  -