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The thermal conductance of oxygen-free high conductivity (OFHC) copper sample pairs with surface finishes ranging from 0.1 to 1.6-micrometers rms roughness was investigated over the range of 1.6 to 6.0-K under applied contact forces up to 670 N. The thermal conductance increases with increasing contact force; however, no correlation can be drawn with respect to surface finish.
The thermal conductance of oxygen-free high conductivity (COFHC) copper sample pairs with surface finishes ranging from 0.1 to 1.6-micrometers rms roughness was investigated over the range of 1.6 to 6.0-K under applied contact forces up to 670 N. The thermal conductance increases with increasing contact force; however, no correlation can be drawn with respect to surface finish.
High in-plane anisotropies arise in layered materials with large structural difference along different in-plane directions. Here, we report an extreme case in layered TiS 3 , which features tightly bonded atomic chains along the b-axis direction, held together by weaker, interchain bonding along the a-axis direction. Experiments show thermal conductivity along the chain twice as high as between the chain, an in-plane anisotropy higher than any other layered materials measured to date. We found that in contrast to most other materials, optical phonons in TiS 3 conduct an unusually high portion of heat (up to 66% along the b-axis direction). The large dispersiveness of optical phonons along the chains, contrasted to many fewer dispersive optical phonons perpendicular to the chains, is the primary reason for the observed high anisotropy in thermal conductivity. The finding discovers materials with unusual thermal conduction mechanism, as well as provides new material platforms for potential heat-routing or heat-managing devices.
The three-omega method, a powerful technique to measure the thermal conductivity of nanometer-thick films and the interfaces between them, has historically employed straight conductive wires to act as both heaters and thermometers. When investigating stochastically prepared samples such as two-dimensional materials and nanomembranes, residue and excess material can make it difficult to fit the required millimeter-long straight wire on the sample surface. There are currently no available criteria for how diverting three-omega heater wires around obstacles affects the validity of the thermal measurement. In this Letter, we quantify the effect of the wire curvature by performing three-omega experiments with a wide range of frequencies using both curved and straight heater geometries on SiO 2 /Si samples. When the heating wire is curved, we find that the measured Si substrate thermal conductivity changes by only 0.2%. Similarly, we find that wire curvature has no significant effect on the determination of the thermal resistance of an ~65 nm SiO 2 layer, even for the sharpest corners considered here, for which the largest measured ratio of the thermal penetration depth of the applied thermal wave to radius of curvature of the heating wire is 4.3. This result provides useful design criteria for three-omega experiments by setting a lower bound for the maximum ratio of the thermal penetration depth to wire radius of curvature.
With the advent of intelligent automobile technology, the demand for multifunctional composites with higher electrical and thermal conductivities is increasing. We have herein reported for the first time the effect of polyolester on the dispersion of carbon nanotube (CNT) in the short-carbon fiber (CF)/nylon 6,6 (PA66) composite using a scalable melt-mixing and dry-blending method and its subsequent improvement in electrical and thermal conductivities. Masterbatches were prepared with a higher concentration of CNT (both untreated and polyolester-treated) followed by dry blended with reference composite (30 wt% CF and 10 wt% mineral fiber filled PA66) before making coupons via injection molding. A 500% and 63% improvements in electrical (3.14 S cm -1 ) and thermal conductivities (in-plane) (1.99 W m -1 K -1 ) conductivities were observed by adding 1.5 wt% treated CNT compared to the reference composite. The improvements were even higher than that of untreated CNT due to better dispersion. Furthermore, the electromagnetic shielding effectiveness reached 61 dB for 1.5 wt% treated CNT-filled composite (39% enhancement). In conclusion, these results are significant in imparting multiple functionalities to the automotive composite parts.
High-temperature gas-cooled reactors (HTGRs) are a relatively mature advanced reactor concept that are of interest to industry and government for near-term deployment. These systems feature passive safety through low power density, coated particle fuels, and large graphite volumes that lead to slow heatup. In loss of flow transients, cooldown is achieved through conduction and radiation heat transfer. In prismatic block-type reactors, such as the mHTGR-350, the presence of coolant holes and fuel compacts alters the flow of heat through the blocks. To capture this effect in systems codes like RELAP5-3D, relationships for effective thermal conductivity (ETC) must be used to appropriately degrade the thermal conductivity. This work presents an assessment of the impact of ETC on performance of block-type gas-cooled reactors in a pressurized conduction cooldown (PCC) and depressurized conduction cooldown (DCC) transients. Models for PCC and DCC with bulk material thermal conductivity and ETC were run for both the mHTGR-350 and the High-Temperature Test Facility (HTTF) to determine the impact of ETC on transient performance.
Determining the energy accommodation between gases and solids is essential to developing porous thermal insulation materials with ultra-low effective thermal conductivity that reduce energy use, greenhouse gas emissions, and fossil fuel consumption. The energy accommodation coefficients of most gases, however, have been rarely studied, especially with respect to solids that have relatively high thermal resistivity, e.g., polymers. Here, by using all-atom nonequilibrium molecular dynamics simulations, we reveal the accommodation coefficients of He, Ar, N 2 , and O 2 with polymers, mainly polystyrene. We find that their values are around 0.51, 0.72, 0.79, and 0.90, respectively, suggesting a critical reexamination of the commonly used theoretical maximum value of 1. We have also conducted experiments and validated the value for air, which is about 0.81. Such a change in accommodation coefficients can lead to a reduction of about 70%, 50%, 35%, and 20% in the thermal conductivity of He, Ar, N 2 , and O 2 gases in nano pores (below 100 nm) or at low pressures (below 1 millibar). With these new accommodation coefficients, we find that in a 10 nm pore with ambient pressure at 300 K, the gas thermal conductivity of He, Ar, N 2 , and O 2 in porous polystyrene can be as low as 9.7 × 10 –4 , 3.4 × 10 –4 , 7.3 × 10 –4 , and 8.5 × 10 –4 W·m –1 ·K –1 , respectively, which are two to three orders of magnitude lower than their bulk values, promising higher thermal resistivity of insulation materials. This work reveals the fundamental energy exchange between gases and polymers, providing important guidance for designing high-performance thermal insulation materials for various applications.
A device and method are provided for measuring the thermal conductivity of rigid or flexible, homogeneous or heterogeneous, thin films between 50 .mu.m and 150 .mu.m thick with relative standard deviations of less than five percent. The specimen is sandwiched between like material, highly conductive upper and lower slabs. Each slab is instrumented with six thermocouples embedded within the slab and flush with their corresponding surfaces. A heat source heats the lower slab and a heat sink cools the upper slab. The heat sink also provides sufficient contact pressure onto the specimen. Testing is performed within a vacuum environment (bell-jar) between 10.sup.-3 to 10.sup.-6 Torr. An anti-radiant shield on the interior surface of the bell-jar is used to avoid radiation heat losses. Insulation is placed adjacent to the heat source and adjacent to the heat sink to prevent conduction losses. A temperature controlled water circulator circulates water from a constant temperature bath through the heat sink. Fourier's one-dimensional law of heat conduction is the governing equation. Data, including temperatures, are measured with a multi-channel data acquisition system. On-line computer processing is used for thermal conductivity calculations.
Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were used to predict the thermal conductivity of β-octahydro-1,3,5,7-tetranitro-1,3,5,7-tetrazocine (β-HMX) along directions normal to the (011), (110), and (010) crystal planes. These directions were selected based on the measured morphological importance of the corresponding crystal surfaces. A reverse non-equilibrium MD approach was used wherein a constant heat flux is imposed along a prescribed direction and the resulting steady-state temperature gradient determined. The coefficient of thermal conductivity λ is the quotient of heat flux and temperature gradient (i.e. Fourier's law). Finite-size effects and sensitivity to imposed heat flux were investigated. The results reveal a modest dependence of the conductivity on crystal orientation, significant finite-size effects, and low sensitivity to imposed flux so long as the Fourier's law analysis is limited to the spatial interval in the simulation cell for which the temperature gradient is constant. Infinite-length thermal conductivities were estimated by linear regression of λ -1 (L) versus reciprocal cell length L -1 for each direction. The predicted values are systematically larger, but within a factor of two, than most published experimental determinations, the latter of which were obtained for pressed-powder or composite samples rather than oriented single crystals.
As presented in this report, experimental and computational techniques were performed to assess the viscosity and thermal conductivity of key alkali and actinide chloride mixtures for molten salt reactor developers. These mixtures were pure LiCl, NaCl-KCl, LiCl-NaCl, LiCl-KCl, LiCl-NaCl-KCl, and NaCl-UCl 3 . Experimental measurements of viscosity were performed with a rolling ball viscometer, whereas experimental measurements of thermal conductivity were performed with a variable gap apparatus. Additional benchmarking work was performed using both property measurement systems to prepare for x-ray radiography in stainless-steel crucibles for viscosity and to ensure that calibration methods were accurate for thermal conductivity before assessing the NaCl-UCl 3 system. Validation data for the NaCl-UCl 3 in literature are minimal. Details on the calibration methods, salt measurement processes, and sources of error and uncertainty are discussed in detail for both property measurements. The computational methods described herein involved ab-initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) calculations using CP2K. The calculations were performed for the LiCl-KCl-NaCl and NaCl-UCl 3 systems. These calculations not only provided thermophysical property estimations for comparison to experimental data, but they also allowed for the determination of diffusion coefficients, coordination numbers, and radial distribution functions to provide insight into ion mobility and local coordination environments, which is linked to macroscopic property trends.
Complex bismuth chalcogenides are narrow band gap semiconductors with intrinsic low thermal conductivity, which exhibit high potential as highly efficient thermoelectric materials. Here, we assess the basic thermoelectric properties of polycrystalline Rb 2 Bi 8 Se 13 in the temperature range 300-823 K as well as performance-optimizing strategies. We find that the as-made bulk samples are single phase with the monoclinic crystal structure (P2 1 /m) and crystallize in layer morphology. The pristine sample exhibits an exceedingly low lattice thermal conductivity of 0.6- 0.46 W·m -1 ·K -1 at 300-823 K, which derives from strong lattice anharmonicity, large Grüneisen parameters, and low phonon velocities induced by the complex crystal structure with heavy atom Bi and a large unit cell. Here, the Cl doping successfully enhances the carrier concentration in Rb 2 Bi 8 Se 13 with a negligible impact on the electronic band structure, displaying common doping behaviors. Se vacancy, on the contrary, leads to n-type doping and enhances the effective mass and power factors more significantly. Consequently, a maximum ZT of ~0.75 at 823 K for the 0.3% Se-vacancy-doped sample is obtained.
The thermal conductance of aluminum and stainless steel 304 sample pairs with surface finishes ranging from 0.1 to 1.6 microns rms roughness was investigated over a temperature range from 1.6 to 6.0 k. The thermal conductance follows a simple power law function of temperature, with the exponent ranging from 0.5 to 2.25, increases asymptotically with increasing applied force, and exhibits an anomaly for surface finishes in the 0.4 micron region.
The thermal conductance of aluminum and stainless steel 304 sample pairs with surface finishes ranging from 0.1 to 1.6 microns rms roughness was investigated over a temperature range from 1.6 to 6.0 K. The thermal conductance follows a simple power law function of temperature, with the exponent ranging from 0.5 to 2.25, increases asymptotically with increasing applied force, and exhibits an anomaly for surface finishes in the 0.4 micron region.
A method and apparatus for the measurement of thermal conductivity combines the following capabilities: 1) measurements of very small specimens; 2) measurements of specimens with thermal conductivity on the same order of that as air; and, 3) the ability to use air as a reference material. Care is taken to ensure that the heat flow through the test specimen is essentially one-dimensional. No attempt is made to use heated guards to minimize the flow of heat from the hot plate to the surroundings. Results indicate that since large correction factors must be applied to account for guard imperfections when specimen dimensions are small, simply measuring and correcting for heat from the heater disc that does not flow into the specimen is preferable.
The James Webb Space Telescope will include an optical bench known as the integrated science instrument module (ISIM). Candidate structural materials for the ISIM must have low density, high stiffness, high thermal conductivity, and low thermal expansion coefficient at the operating temperature of 30 Kelvin. The specific heat is also important in modeling the on-orbit cooldown. We built two different systems for measuring the thermal conductivity and specific heat of samples between 4 Kelvin and 290 Kelvin. Both experiments were carefully designed to minimize potential errors due to radiative heat transfer. We chose the cooling system and instrumentation to allow long-term unattended operation. Software was developed to automate each experiment. It used an algorithm designed to ensure that each system was in thermal equilibrium before a measurement was taken. We describe the two experiments and present the data.
Uranium alloys are attractive recycled nuclear fuels because of their high thermal conductivity (k) and fissile density; however, the effects of alloying elements on k remain unclear. Here, the electron thermal conductivity (k_e) of U-Pu-Zr compositions are calculated using density functional theory. The electronic structure is evaluated to understand the effects of plutonium (Pu) and zirconium (Zr) substitution on the k_e of ?-U. Alloys of up to 37.5 at. % Pu and 37.5 at. % Zr are examined. Two methods are applied to calculate k_e; we find that the accuracy of each method depends on the electronic and mass similarities between the solute and solvent atoms. Specifically, when the solute atom is similar in electronic structure and mass, the method that applies the electron relaxation time of ?-U is best, while if the elements are dissimilar, a mixed method that mixes several parameters associated with k_e from each element in the alloy is best. The introduction of all alloying elements decreases k_e; however, in binary compounds, Pu and Zr have different effects. Pu generally flattens the electronic bands but compensates for this deleterious effect by increasing electron density near the Fermi level. Zr flattens the electronic bands more severely without adding electron density near the Fermi level. Therefore, Zr decreases the k_e more than Pu in binary compounds. In ternary compounds, the difference between Pu and Zr is minimal due to the phononic change from the large mass change of Zr substitution, even at 12.5 at. %. Thus, we predict that higher loadings of Pu, and potentially other actinides, can be added to U-Pu-Zr compositions for faster recycling of spent fuel with without sacrificing k. We also note that these k_e calculation methods can be applied to non-fuel alloys that require k_e predictions, such as cladding, heat exchanger, and structural materials.
Thin-film organic materials are broadly used to study amorphous stabilization of active pharmaceuticals, control explosive detonation phenomena, and introduce insulation in novel thermal barriers. Their synthesis, however, introduces defects and thickness variations that warrant careful characterization of local thermophysical properties such as thermal conductivity and mass density. In this study, wide bandwidth (200 Hz to 20 MHz) frequency–domain thermoreflectance (FDTR) is demonstrated to simultaneously extract the thermal conductivity and mass density of 1 μm physical vapor-deposited indomethacin films on Si and SiO 2 substrates, as well as 10 and 100 μm films on Si. By assuming a bulk specific heat capacity, mass densities are determined with FDTR measurements of volumetric heat capacity and are in good agreement with the literature, as well as models based upon a dependence on porosity and the kinetic theory for phonons. Lastly, it is found that for broad-band FDTR measurements, insulating substrates provide improved fidelity for the extraction of thermal conductivity and volumetric heat capacity in organic thin films. Overall, this work demonstrates the potential for FDTR as a non-contact method to determine microscale mass density variations across the surface and thickness of organic thin films.
Raman-based approaches to characterizing thermal properties of nanoscale and microscale materials have proven to be powerful experimental methods. Here, this work explores the potential of energy-transport state-resolved Raman (ET-Raman) for the precise determination of interfacial thermal conductance (G) between monolayer 2D materials and their substrates. ET-Raman employs a continuous wave laser and nanosecond (ns) pulsed laser to induce both steady state and transient heating while simultaneously collecting 2D material temperature information from the Raman signal. A 3D numerical model built using the finite volume method simulates the two differentiated thermal transport processes. The simulated temperature rises are compared with experimental Raman temperature information to extract G. In this study, we investigate the temporal effects of the pulse frequency and pulse width of the ns laser on precise characterization of G. By running multiple simulations for a range of pulsed laser frequencies and pulse widths, we determine that ET-Raman is most sensitive to precise interfacial thermal conductance measurements with short pulse widths (~below 20 ns) and with pulsing frequencies that ensure sufficient cooling time between consecutive pulses (~below 500 kHz). We also conclude that substrate thickness and laser spot size play critical roles in heat distribution and subsequent sensitivity to meaningful G measurements. As both laser spot size and SiO 2 substrate thickness decrease, detection of interfacial thermal transport becomes more difficult. These results offer essential guidance in the design of future Raman-based approaches to thermal measurements using pulsed lasers.