Synthesis and characterization of hexagonal boron nitride coating on polyethylene terephthalate

Hexagonal Boron Nitride (h-BN) thin film was deposited on flexible polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrate using radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering system. Ceramic material h-BN was coated at three different thicknesses of 400 nm, 800 nm and 1200 nm on PET surface for a detailed comparative study. A clearer topography of the h-BN-coated surface on PET substrate was imaged using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) system, where it depicted well-developed grain boundaries. The existence of B–N components was ensured by peaks observed at 1442 and 817 cm−1 using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) study. X-ray diffractograms (XRD) confirmed the presence of (100) and (004) oriented BN phases in the prepared thin films. Increase in surface roughness (10.2–55.2 nm) from surface analysis and moderate improvement in thermal conductivity also obtained in this work was evident. Characterization studies support the novelty in the study of the deposition of h-BN thin film on flexible PET substrate with improved surface roughness and thermal conductivity. The conclusion was that BN thin film can be suggested as a potential object as heat spreader in flexible electronics for efficient thermal management devices such as electronic packaging applications.