Sebacic acid (SA) can be absorbed into the pores of expanded graphite (EG) to form a SA/EG composite phase change material (PCM). There is no chemical interaction between the SA and EG, they are merely integrated. The optimal amount of SA was found to be 85 wt.% of the total mixture. The 85 wt.% composite had a phase change temperature of ~ 128°C, with a latent heat of ~ 187 J/g. The thermal ...
Epoxy resin/silicon carbide (Ep/SiC) composites were prepared by the casting method and subsequently characterized for their mechanical and thermal properties. It was determined that an increasing mass fraction of SiC in the epoxy resin resulted in increasing thermal conductivity of the composites. Using 50 wt.% SiC resulted in a thermal conductivity of 0.7152 W/mK, which is three times that of pure epoxy resin. Mechanical properties peaked with 10 wt.% SiC. ...
Using industrial grade mullite powder and a foaming and starch consolidation process, a series of porous mullite ceramics were prepared. These ceramics were analyzed by a thermal constants analyzer, and it was determined that the ceramics had low thermal conductivities and would make good thermal insulators. The porosity of the synthesized ceramics can be controlled by the sintering temperature and by adjusting solid loading. The ceramics were subjected to theoretical ...
Vertically-aligned silicon nanowires (SiNWs) are investigated for their use as thermoelectric materials. Using a silver-induced electroless-etching method, SiNWs of varying lengths are prepared, which are expected to have lower thermal conductivities as compared to bulk silicon. A thermal constants analyzer is used to perform the thermal analysis of the SiNWs, and thermal conductivity values are reduced by up to 43%. Theoretical models are then used to explain the quantitative results obtained ...
Ni-coated single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) were dispersed in four fluids (of varying viscosities) to create four different nanofluids. Due to the magnetic properties of the coated nanotubes the researchers induced a magnetic field to increase the thermal conductivity of the nanofluids. The increase in thermal conductivity was due to the alignment of the carbon nanotubes into chains due to the magnetic field. A Thermal Constants Analyzer was used to measure ...
