Thermal-Conductivity Apparatus for Steady-State,Comparative Measurement of Ceramic Coatings

An apparatus has been developed to measure the thermal conductivity of ceramic coatings. Since the method uses an infrared microscope for temperature measurement, coatings as thin as 20 μm can, in principle, be measured using this technique. This steady-state, comparative measurement method uses the known thermal conductivity of the substrate material as the reference material for heat-flow measurement. The experimental method is validated by measuring a plasma-sprayed coating that has been previously measured using an absolute, steady-state measurement method. The new measurement method has a relative standard uncertainty of about 10 %. The measurement of the plasma-sprayed coating gives 0.58 W·m⁻¹·K^−l which compares well with the 0.62 W·m⁻¹·K^−l measured using the absolute method.     

Thermal conductivity of mica at low temperatures

The thermal conductivity of muscovite and phlogopite has been measured over a temperature range of 3 to 320 K, in directions parallel and perpendicular to the cleavage planes. Both materials showed anisotropic behaviour. The room temperature values for muscovite and phlogopite, respectively, were 4.05 and 3.7 W m^–1 K^–1 for conductivity parallel to the planes, and 0.46 and 0.44 W m^–1 K^–1 perpendicular to the planes. Plots of the variation of thermal conductivity with temperature for both directions in the two materials show a gradual rise in conductivity as the temperature is lowered below room temperature. All four curves reach a peak at about the same temperature of 15 K. The peak values obtained were 12.4 and 7.25 W m^–1 K^–1 parallel to the planes, and 4.7 and 2.05 W m^–1 K^–1 perpendicular to the planes.On leave from Australian Broadcasting Commission.     

Potential use of only Yb2O3 in producing dense Si3N4 ceramics with high thermal conductivity by gas pressure sintering

Yb₂O₃ is an efficient sintering additive for enhancing not only thermal conductivity but also the high-temperature mechanical properties of Si₃N₄ ceramics. Here we report the fabrication of dense Si₃N₄ ceramics with high thermal conductivity by the gas pressure sintering of α-Si₃N₄ powder compacts, using only Yb₂O₃ as an additive, at 1900 °C under a nitrogen pressure of 1 MPa. The effects of Yb₂O₃ content, sample packing condition and sintering time on the densification, microstructure and thermal conductivity were investigated. Curves of the density plotted against the Yb₂O₃ content exhibited a characteristic ‘N’ shape with a local minimum at 3 mol% Yb₂O₃ and nearly complete densification below and above this concentration. The effects of the sample packing condition on the densification, microstructure and thermal conductivity strongly depended on the Yb₂O₃ content. The embedded condition led to more complete densification but also to a decrease in thermal conductivity from 119 to 94 W m^-1 K⁻¹ upon 1 mol% Yb₂O₃ addition. The sample packing condition had little effect on the density and thermal conductivity (102–106 W m⁻¹ K⁻¹) at 7 mol% Yb₂O₃. The thermal conductivity value was strongly related to the microstructure.     

Low-cost and fast synthesis of nanoporous silica cryogels for thermal insulation applications

Nanoporous silica cryogels with a high specific surface area of 1095 m² g⁻¹ were fabricated using tert-butyl alcohol as a reaction solvent, via a cost-effective sol–gel process followed by vacuum freeze drying. The total time of cryogel production was reduced markedly to one day. The molar ratio of solvent/precursor, which was varied from 5 to 13, significantly affected the porous structure and thermal insulating properties of the cryogels. The silica cryogels with low densities in the range of 0.08–0.18 g cm⁻³ and thermal conductivities as low as 6.7 mW (m·K)⁻¹ at 100 Pa and 28.3 mW (m·K)⁻¹ at 10⁵ Pa were obtained using this new technique.     

Kapitza resistance and thermal conductivity of Kapton in superfluid helium

We have determined simultaneously the Kapitza resistance, R_K, and the thermal conductivity, κ, of Kapton HN sheets at superfluid helium temperature in the range of 1.4–2.0 K. Five sheets of Kapton with varying thickness from 14 to 130 μm, have been tested. Steady-state measurement of the temperature difference across each sheet as a function of heat flux is achieved. For small temperature difference (10–30 mK) and heat flux density smaller than 30 W m⁻², the total thermal resistance of the sheet is determined as a function of sheet thickness and bath temperature. Our method determines with good accuracy the Kapitza resistance, R_K=(10540±444)T⁻³×10⁻⁶ K m² W⁻¹, and the thermal conductivity, κ=[(2.28±0.54)+(2.40±0.32)×T]×10⁻³ W m⁻¹ K⁻¹. Result obtained for the thermal conductivity is in good agreement with data found in literature and the Kapitza resistance’s evolution with temperature follows the theoretical cubic law.     

Thermal Conductivity Measurement of an Electron-Beam Physical-Vapor-Deposition Coating

An industrial ceramic thermal-barrier coating designated PWA 266, processed by electron-beam physical-vapor deposition, was measured using a steady-state thermal conductivity technique. The thermal conductivity of the mass fraction 7 % yttria-stabilized zirconia coating was measured from 100 °C to 900 °C. Measurements on three thicknesses of coatings, 170 μm, 350 μm, and 510 μm resulted in thermal conductivity in the range from 1.5 W/(m·K) to 1.7 W/(m·K) with a combined relative standard uncertainty of 20 %. The thermal conductivity is not significantly dependent on temperature.     

Thermally conductive polyamide 6/carbon filler composites based on a hybrid filler system

We explored the use of a hybrid filler consisting of graphite nanoplatelets (GNPs) and single walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) in a polyamide 6 (PA 6) matrix. The composites containing PA 6, powdered GNP, and SWCNT were melt-processed and the effect of filler content in the single filler and hybrid filler systems on the thermal conductivity of the composites was examined. The thermal diffusivities of the composites were measured by the standard laser flash method. Composites containing the hybrid filler system showed enhanced thermal conductivity with values as high as 8.8 W (m · K)⁻¹, which is a 35-fold increase compared to the thermal conductivity of pure PA 6. Thermographic images of heat conduction and heat release behaviors were consistent with the thermal conductivity results, and showed rapid temperature jumps and drops, respectively, for the composites. A composite model based on the Lewis–Nielsen theory was developed to treat GNP and SWCNT as two separate types of fillers. Two approaches, the additive and multiplicative approaches, give rather good quantitative agreement between the predicted values of thermal conductivity and those measured experimentally.     

Electronic conduction in La-based perovskite-type oxides

A systematic study of La-based perovskite-type oxides from the viewpoint of their electronic conduction properties was performed. LaCo_0.5Ni_0.5O_3±δ was found to be a promising candidate as a replacement for standard metals used in oxide electrodes and wiring that are operated at temperatures up to 1173 K in air because of its high electrical conductivity and stability at high temperatures. LaCo_0.5Ni_0.5O_3±δ exhibits a high conductivity of 1.9 × 10³ S cm⁻¹ at room temperature (R.T.) because of a high carrier concentration n of 2.2 × 10²² cm⁻³ and a small effective mass m∗ of 0.10 m_e. Notably, LaCo_0.5Ni_0.5O_3±δ exhibits this high electrical conductivity from R.T. to 1173 K, and little change in the oxygen content occurs under these conditions. LaCo_0.5Ni_0.5O_3±δ is the most suitable for the fabrication of oxide electrodes and wiring, though La_1−xSr_xCoO_3±δ and La_1−xSr_xMnO_3±δ also exhibit high electronic conductivity at R.T., with maximum electrical conductivities of 4.4 × 10³ S cm⁻¹ for La_0.5Sr_0.5CoO_3±δ and 1.5 × 10³ S cm⁻¹ for La_0.6Sr_0.4MnO_3±δ because oxygen release occurs in La_1−xSr_xCoO_3±δ as elevating temperature and the electrical conductivity of La_0.6Sr_0.4MnO_3±δ slightly decreases at temperatures above 400 K.     

Thermal Conductivity of a Simulated Fuel with Dissolved Fission Products

The thermal diffusivity of a simulated fuel with fission products forming a solid solution was measured using the laser-flash method in the temperature range from room temperature to 1673 K. The density and the grain size of the simulated fuel with the solid solutions used in the measurement were 10.49 g · cm⁻³ (96.9% of theoretical density) at room temperature and 9.5 μm, respectively. The diameter and thickness of the specimens were 10 and 1 mm, respectively. The thermal diffusivity decreased from 2.108 m² · s⁻¹ at room temperature to 0.626 m² · s⁻¹ at 1673 K. The thermal conductivity was calculated by combining the thermal diffusivity with the specific heat and density. The thermal conductivity of the simulated fuel with the dissolved fission products decreased from 4.973 W · m⁻¹ · K⁻¹ at 300 K to 2.02 W · m⁻¹ · K⁻¹ at 1673 K. The thermal conductivity of the simulated fuel was lower than that of UO₂ by 34.36% at 300 K and by 15.05% at 1673 K. The difference in the thermal conductivity between the simulated fuel and UO₂ was large at room temperature, and decreased with an increase in temperature. Paper presented at the Seventeenth European Conference on Thermophysical Properties, September 5–8, 2005, Bratislava, Slovak Republic.     

Interlaboratory Comparison of Magnetic Thin Film Measurements

A potential low magnetic moment standard reference material (SRM) was studied in an interlaboratory comparison. The mean and the standard deviation of the saturation moment m_s, the remanent moment m_r, and the intrinsic coercivity H_c of nine samples were extracted from hysteresis-loop measurements. Samples were measured by thirteen laboratories using inductive-field loopers, vibrating-sample magnetometers, alternating-gradient force magnetometers, and superconducting quantum-interference-device magnetometers. NiFe films on Si substrates had saturation moment measurements reproduced within 5 % variation among the laboratories. The results show that a good candidate for an SRM must have a highly square hysteresis loop (m_r/m_s > 90 %), H_c ≈ 400 A·m⁻¹ (5 Oe), and m_s ≈ 2 × 10⁻⁷ A·m² (2 × 10⁻⁴ emu).     

The thermal conductivity of α uranium between 5 and 100 K

The thermal and electrical conductivities of uranium have been measured over the temperature range 5–100 K. Both in the as-received condition and after annealing, the thermal conductivity results show a maximum at low temperatures followed by a shallow minimum with increasing temperature. Typical values for the annealed specimen were 65 W m^–1 K^–1 at 15 K and 35 W m^–1 K^–1 at 100 K. The temperature dependence can be explained by an electronic conductivity increasing with temperature, and a significant lattice contribution which is almost constant over the temperature range 40–100 K. A small secondary peak centered at 55 K is observed associated with the -₀ phase transition.     

An assessment of expressions for the apparent thermal conductivity of cellular materials

Diverse expressions for the thermal conductivity of cellular materials are reviewed. Most expressions address only the conductive contribution to heat transfer; some expressions also consider the radiative contribution. Convection is considered to be negligible for cell diameters less than 4 mm. The predicted results are compared with measured conductivities for materials ranging from fine-pore foams to coarse packaging materials. The dependencies of the predicted conductivities on the material parameters which are most open to intervention are presented graphically for the various models.Nomenclature a Absorption coefficient - C _v (Jmol^–1 K^–1) Specific heat - E Emissivity - E _L Emissivity of hypothetical thin parallel layer - E ₀ Boundary surfaces emissivity - f Fraction of solid normal to heat flow - fics Fraction of total solid in struts of cell - K(m^–1) Mean extinction coefficient - k(W m^–1 K^–1) Effective thermal conductivity of foam - k _cd(W m^–1 K^–1) Conductive contribution - k _cr(W m^–1 K^–1) Convective contribution - k _g(W m^–1 K^–1) Thermal conductivity of cell gas - k _r(W m^–1 K^–1) Radiative contribution - k _s(W m^–1 K^–1) Thermal conductivity of solid - L(m) Thickness of sample - L _g(m) Diameter of cell - L _s(m) Cell-wall thickness - n Number of cell layers - r Reflection coefficient - t Transmission coefficient - T(K) Absolute temperature - T _m(K) Mean temperature - T _N Fraction of energy passing through cell wall - T ₁(K) Temperature of hot plate - T ₂(K) Temperature of cold plate - V _g Volume fraction of gas - V _w Volume fraction of total solid in the windows - w Refractive index - (m) Effective molecular diameter - (Pa s) Gas viscosity - Structural angle with respect to rise direction - (W m^–2 K^–4) Stefan constant     

A new route for preparation of sodium-silicate-based hydrophobic silica aerogels via ambient-pressure drying

An in-depth investigation into the synthesis of hydrophobic silica aerogels prepared by the surface derivatization of wet gels followed by subsequent drying at ambient pressure is reported. The following sol–gel parameters were examined for their effect on the physical properties of the derived aerogels: number of gel washings with water, percentage of hexane or methanol in silylating mixture, molar ratio of tartaric acid: Na₂SiO₃, gel aging period, weight% of silica, trimethylchlorosilane (TMCS) percentage, and silylation period. These parameters were varied from 1 to 4, 0 to 100%, 0.27 to 1.2, 0 to 4 h, 1.5 to 8 wt.%, 20 to 40% and 6 to 24 h, respectively. The properties of hydrophobic silica aerogels synthesized by this new route were investigated in terms of bulk density, percentage volume shrinkage, percentage porosity, thermal conductivity and contact angle with water, and by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The as-prepared hydrophobic silica aerogels exhibited high temperature stability (up to approximately 435 °C) as measured by thermogravimetric/differential thermal analysis (TGA-DTA). The optimal sol-gel parameters were found to be a molar ratio of Na₂SiO₃:H₂O : tartaric acid : TMCS of 1 : 146.67 : 0.86 : 9.46, an aging period of 3 h, four washings with water in 24 h and the use of a 50% hexane- or methanol-based silylating mixture. Aerogels prepared with these optimal parameters were found to exhibit 50% optical transparency in the visible range, 84 kg m⁻³ density, 0.090 W mK⁻¹ thermal conductivity, 95% porosity and a contact angle of 146° with water.     

Simultaneous Measurements of Thermal Properties of Individual Carbon Fibers

Combining the steady-state and quasi-steady-state T type probes, the longitudinal thermal conductivity and thermal effusivity of individual mesophase pitch-based carbon fiber heat treated at 2800 °C and 1000 °C have been measured from 100 K to 300 K. The present method allows simultaneous measurements of thermal properties using the same instrument, by simply changing the applied direct current to alternating current. The specific heat is found to decrease with increasing heat-treatment temperature and to approach the value of graphite. The highly graphitized carbon fiber has a maximum thermal conductivity of 410 W · m⁻¹ · K⁻¹ at about 250 K, and its thermal diffusivity decreases with increasing temperature. Comparatively, the thermal conductivity of the fiber heat treated at 1000 °C is much smaller, with the peak shifting to high temperature due to a large defect density, and its thermal diffusivity is nearly temperature independent.     

An International Marine-Atmospheric 222Rn Measurement Intercomparison in Bermuda Part II: Results for the Participating Laboratories

As part of an international measurement intercomparison of instruments used to measure atmospheric ²²²Rn, four participating laboratories made nearly simultaneous measurements of ²²²Rn activity concentration in commonly sampled, ambient air over approximately a 2 week period, and three of these four laboratories participated in the measurement comparison of 14 introduced samples with known, but undisclosed (“blind”) ²²²Rn activity concentration. The exercise was conducted in Bermuda in October 1991. The ²²²Rn activity concentrations in ambient Bermudian air over the course of the intercomparison ranged from a few hundredths of a Bq · m⁻³ to about 2 Bq · m⁻³, while the standardized sample additions covered a range from approximately 2.5 Bq · m⁻³ to 35 Bq · m⁻³. The overall uncertainty in the latter concentrations was in the general range of 10 %, approximating a 3 standard deviation uncertainty interval. The results of the intercomparison indicated that two of the laboratories were within very good agreement with the standard additions, and almost within expected statistical variations. These same two laboratories, however, at lower ambient concentrations, exhibited a systematic difference with an averaged offset of roughly 0.3 Bq · m⁻³. The third laboratory participating in the measurement of standardized sample additions was systematically low by about 65 % to 70 %, with respect to the standard addition which was also confirmed in their ambient air concentration measurements. The fourth laboratory, participating in only the ambient measurement part of the intercomparison, was also systematically low by at least 40 % with respect to the first two laboratories.     

Measurement of the thermal conductivity of molten InSb under microgravity

Thermal conductivity of molten InSb was measured on board the TEXUS-24 sounding rocket by the transient hot-wire method using the originally designed thermal conductivity measurement facility (TCMF). Measurements made through this facility were affected by natural convection on the ground. This natural convection was confirmed to be sufficiently suppressed during a microgravity environment. The thermal conductivity of molten InSb was 15.8 and 18.2 W·m^–1·K^–1 at 830 and 890 K, respectively.     

Carbon Aerogel-Based High-Temperature Thermal Insulation

Carbon aerogels, monolithic porous carbons derived via pyrolysis of porous organic precursors synthesized via the sol–gel route, are excellent materials for high-temperature thermal insulation applications both in vacuum and inert gas atmospheres. Measurements at 1773K reveal for the aerogels investigated thermal conductivities of 0.09W · m⁻¹ · K⁻¹ in vacuum and 0.12W · m⁻¹ · K⁻¹ in 0.1MPa argon atmosphere. Analysis of the different contributions to the overall thermal transport in the carbon aerogels shows that the heat transfer via the solid phase dominates the thermal conductivity even at high temperatures. This is due to the fact that the radiative heat transfer is strongly suppressed as a consequence of a high infrared extinction coefficient and the gaseous contribution is reduced since the average pore diameter of about 600nm is limiting the mean free path of the gas molecules in the pores at high temperatures. Based on the thermal conductivity data detected up to 1773K as well as specific extinction coefficients determined via infrared-optical measurements, the thermal conductivity can be extrapolated to 2773K yielding a value of only 0.14W· m⁻¹ · K⁻¹ in vacuum.     

Experimental Reconstruction of Thermal Parameters in CNT Array Multilayer Structure

The thermal conductivities, thermal diffusivity, thermal anisotropy ratio, and thermal boundary resistance for the multilayered microstructure of a carbon nanotube (CNT) array are reconstructed experimentally using the 3ω method with two different width metal heaters. The thermal impedance in the frequency domain and sensitivity coefficients are introduced to simultaneously determine the multiple thermal parameters. The thermal conductivity at 295 K is 38 W · m⁻¹ · K⁻¹ along the nanotube growth direction, and two orders of magnitude lower in the direction perpendicular to the tubes with the anisotropy ratio as large as 86. Separation of the contact and CNT array resistances is realized through circuit modeling. The measured thermal boundary resistances of the CNT array/Si substrate and insulating diamond film interfaces are 3.1 m² · K · MW⁻¹ and 18.4 m² · K · MW⁻¹, respectively. The measured thermal boundary resistance between the heater and diamond film is 0.085 m² · K · MW⁻¹ using a reference sample without a CNT array. The thermal conductivity for a CNT array already exceeds those of phase-changing thermal interface materials used in microelectronics.     

Effects of Sn,Ca additions on thermal conductivity of Mg matrix alloys

In the present work, the effects of Sn, Ca additions on thermal conductivity were investigated in as cast Mg–Sn–Ca alloys. The measured values of thermal conductivity of Mg–3Sn–xCa alloys obviously increased from 85.6 to 126.3?W?m^??1?K^??1 with the increasing Ca from 0 to 1.5?wt-%, and then decreased to 98.3?W?m^??1?K^??1 with the 2.5?wt-% Ca. In addition, the thermal conductivity of the Mg–Sn–Ca (Sn/Ca atomic ratio of 1) alloys decreased slightly from 154.2 to 132.1?W?m^??1?K^??1 with the increasing Sn, Ca. Meanwhile, the microstructures of the selected alloys were discussed in detail, suggesting that the solute atoms that caused lattice distortion had greater effect on thermal conductivity compared with the second phases formed in as cast Mg–Sn–Ca alloys.