Abstract: Silver plated carbon fiber (Ag-CF) was prepared by chemical plating and mixed with phenolic resin forming thermal conductive composites by the stirring and mixing method. The morphologies and properties of the composites were studied by scanning electron microscope（SEM）, energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). It was found that a large number of Ag nanoparticles covered the surface of carbon fiber. Thermal conductivity and mechanical properties of phenolic resin/Ag-CF composites increased with increasing Ag-CF content. When the content of the Ag-CF was 7.0 wt%, the thermal conductivity, impact strength, and flexural strength were 1.25 W/(m·℃), 66.7 kJ/m2, and 139.2 MPa, respectively. The temperature for 30 % residual ratio was 500℃, which contrast to 450 ℃ for neat phenolic resin.

Key words: phenolic resin, thermal conductivity, carbon fiber, composite materials