This thesis describes the synthesis of a low modulus, thermally conductive thermal interface materials (TIM) using metal decorated nanotubes as fillers. TIMs are very important in electronics because they act as a thermally-conductive medium for thermal transfer between the interface of a heat sink and an electronic package. The performance of an electronic package decreases with increasing operating temperature, hence, there exists a need to create a TIM which has high thermal conduction to reduce the operating temperature. The TIM in this study is made from metal decorated multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) and Vinnapas®BP 600 polymer. The sample was functionalized using mild oxidative treatment with nitric acid (HNO3) or, with N-Methly-2-Pyrrolidone (NMP). The metals used for this experiment were copper (Cu), tin (Sn), and nickel (Ni). The metal nanoparticles were seeded using functionalized MWCNTs as templates. Once seeded, the nanotubes and polymer composites were made with or without sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate (SDBS), as a surfactant. Thermal conductivity (k) measurement was carried out using ASTM D-5470 method at room temperature. This setup best models the working conditions of a TIM. The TIM samples made for this study showed promise in their ability to have significant increase in thermal conduction while retaining the polymer’s mechanical properties. The highest k value that was obtained was 0.72 W/m-K for a well dispersed aligned 5 wt percent Ni@MWCNT sample. The Cu samples underperformed both Ni and Sn samples for the same synthesis conditions. This is because Cu nanoparticles were significantly larger than those of Ni and Sn. They were large enough to cause alloy scattering and too large to attach to the nanotubes. Addition of thermally-conductive fillers, such as exfoliated graphite, did not yield better k results as it sunk to the bottom during drying. The use of SDBS greatly increased the k values of the sample by reducing agglomeration. Increasing the amount of metal@MWCNT wt percent in the sample had negative or no effect to the k values. Shear testing on the sample shows it adheres well to the surface when pressure is applied, yet it can be removed with ease.

Polymer modified bitumen is a binder obtained by the incorporation of various types of polymers in bitumen using mechanical mixing or chemical reactions. There are several factors affecting the properties of polymer modified bituminous composites such as / chemical composition of bitumen, kind of polymer and filler, compatibility of bitumen and polymer, amount of bitumen, polymer and filler, particle size of filler and process conditions. The main objective of this study is to determine the effects of polymer type and concentration on mechanical, thermal, properties and morphologies of bitumen based composites. It was also aimed to determine the effect of process temperature on mechanical and thermal properties of bituminous composites. Bituminous composites were prepared by using Brabender Plastic Coder, PLV 151. Mixing was made at two different temperatures (150 &ordm / C and 180 &ordm / C) at 60 rpm for 20 minutes. Three different kinds of polymer and four different polymer concentrations were used to understand the effect of polymer type and polymer concentration on bituminous composites properties. Low density polyethylene (LDPE), styrene-butadiene-styrene copolymer (SBS) and ethylene-vinyl-acetate (EVA) were chosen as polymer. The compositions were adjusted as the polymer volumes were equal to 5%, 10%, 20% and 50% of bitumen volume. According to the test results, addition of polymer increases the mechanical properties, reduces the melt flow index and thermal conductivity values of bituminous composites. Morphological analysis results show that, fibrillation occurs at tensile fractured surfaces of composites which contain LDPE and EVA when the polymer concentration reaches 20% of bitumen volume.

In this study simultaneously developing single phase, laminar and incompressible flow in a micro gap between parallel plates is numerically analyzed by including the effect of variation in thermal conductivity and viscosity with temperature. Variable property solutions for continuity, momentum and energy equations are performed in a coupled manner, for air as a Newtonian fluid. In these analyses the rarefaction effect, which is important for the slip flow regime, is taken into account by imposing slip velocity and temperature jump boundary conditions to the wall boundaries. Mainly, the influence of viscous dissipation, axial conduction, geometric parameters and rarefaction on the property variation effect is aimed to be discussed in detail. Therefore, the effects of variable thermal conductivity and viscosity are investigated simultaneously with the effects of rarefaction, geometric parameters, viscous dissipation and axial conduction. The difference between constant and variable solutions in terms of heat transfer characteristics is related to the effects of viscous dissipation axial conduction and rarefaction. According to results, property variation is substantially effective in the entrance region where temperature and velocity gradients are high. On the other hand, property variation effects are not significant for fully developed air flows in microchannel.

A nanofluid is the suspension of nanoparticles in a base fluid. Nanofluids are promising for heat transfer enhancement due to their high thermal conductivity. Presently, discrepancy exists in nanofluid thermal conductivity data in the literature, and enhancement mechanisms have not been fully understood yet. In the first part of this study, a literature review of nanofluid thermal conductivity is performed. Experimental studies are discussed through the effects of some parameters such as particle volume fraction, particle size, and temperature on conductivity. Enhancement mechanisms of conductivity are summarized, theoretical models are explained, model predictions are compared with experimental data, and discrepancies are indicated. Nanofluid forced convection research is important for practical application of nanofluids. Recent experiments showed that nanofluid heat transfer enhancement exceeds the associated thermal conductivity enhancement, which might be explained by thermal dispersion, which occurs due to random motion of nanoparticles. In the second part of the study, to examine the validity of a thermal dispersion model, hydrodynamically developed, thermally developing laminar Al2O3/water nanofluid flow inside a circular tube under constant wall temperature and heat flux boundary conditions is analyzed by using finite difference method with Alternating Direction Implicit Scheme. Numerical results are compared with experimental and numerical data in the literature and good agreement is observed especially with experimental data, which indicates the validity of the thermal dispersion model for explaining nanofluid heat transfer. Additionally, a theoretical analysis is performed, which shows that usage of classical correlations for heat transfer analysis of nanofluids is not valid.

Zirconium diboride (ZrB₂) is a ceramic material possessing ultra-high melting temperatures. As such, this compound could be useful in the construction of thermal protection systems for aerospace applications. This work addresses a primary shortcoming of this material, namely its propensity to destructively oxidize at high temperatures, as well as secondary issues concerning its heat transport properties.To characterize and improve oxidation properties, thermogravimetric studies were per- formed using a specially constructed experimental setup. ZrB₂-SiC two-phase ceramic composites were isothermally oxidized for ∼90 min in flowing air in the range 1500-1900°C. Specimens with 30 mol% SiC formed distinctive reaction product layers which were highly protective; 28 mol% SiC - 6 mol% TaB₂ performed similarly. At higher temperatures, specimens containing lower amounts of SiC were shown to be non-protective, whereas specimens containing greater amounts of SiC produced unstable oxide layers due to gas evolution. Oxide coating thicknesses calculated from weight loss data were consistent with those measured from SEM micrographs. In order to characterize one aspect of the materials' heat transport properties, the thermal diffusivities of ZrB₂-SiC composites were measured using the laser flash technique. These were converted to thermal conductivities using temperature dependent specific heat and density data; thermal conductivity decreased with increasing temperature over the range 25-2000°C. The composition with the highest SiC content showed the highest thermal conductivity at room temperature, but the lowest at temperatures in excess of ∼400°C, because of the greater temperature sensitivity of the thermal conductivity of the SiC phase, as compared to more electrically-conductive ZrB₂. Subsequent finite difference calculations were good predictors of multi-phase thermal conductvities for the compositions examined. The thermal conductivities of pure ZrB₂ as a function of temperature were back-calculated from the experimental results for the multi-phase materials, and literature thermal conductivities of the other two phases. This established a relatively constant thermal conductivity of 88-104 W/m·K over the evaluated temperature range. Further heat transport characterization was performed using pre-oxidized, directly resistively heated ZrB₂-30 mol% SiC ribbon specimens under the observation of a spectral radiometer. The ribbons were heated and held at specific temperatures over the range 1100- 1330°C in flowing Ar, and normal spectral emittance values were recorded over the 1-6 μm range with a resolution of 10 nm. The normal spectral emittance was shown to decrease with loss of the borosilicate layer over the course of the data collection time periods. This change was measured and compensated for to produce traces showing the emittance of the oxidized composition rising from ∼0.7 to ∼0.9 over the range of wavelengths measured.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, Riverside, 2009. / Includes abstract. Available via ProQuest Digital Dissertations. Title from first page of PDF file (viewed March 12, 2010). Includes bibliographical references (p. 96-107). Also issued in print.

Using equilibrium molecular dynamics simulations, an analysis of the key thermophysical properties critical to heat transfer processes is performed. Replication of thermal conductivity and shear viscosity observations found in experimental investigations were performed using a theoretical nanopthesis-fluid system and a novel colloid-fluid interaction potential to investigate the key nanofluid parameters. Analysis of both the heat current (thermal conductivity) and stress (shear viscosity) autocorrelation functions have suggested that the dominant physical mechanisms for thermal and momentum transport arises from enhancements to the longitudinal and transverse acoustic modes energy transfer brought about by the increased mass ratio of the nanopthesis to the fluid. This conclusion was further supported by analysis of the local density fluctuations surrounding increasing nanopthesis diameters where the longitudinal acoustic mode characteristics for density fluxes were seen to be enhanced by the presence of the heavier platinum nanopthesiss. It is then concluded that the key macroscopic characteristic in obtaining the largest thermal energy transfer enhancement is through the mass of the nanopthesis relative to the base fluid. Also, the small local density effects in the nanofluid are greatly affects the viscosity calculations. These conclusions provide the theoretical framework for many of the experimental results obtained.

Recent interest in "greener" geothermal heating and cooling systems as well as developments in the quality assurance of cast-in-place concrete foundations has heightened the need for properly assessing thermal properties of soils. Therein, the ability of a soil to diffuse or absorb heat is dependent on the surrounding conditions (e.g. mineralogy, saturation, density, and insitu temperature). Prior to this work, the primary thermal properties (conductivity and heat capacity) had no correlation to commonly used soil exploration methods and therefore formed the focus of this thesis. Algorithms were developed in a spreadsheet platform that correlated input boring log information to thermal properties using known relationships between density, saturation, and thermal properties as well as more commonly used strength parameters from boring logs. Limited lab tests were conducted to become better acquainted with ASTM standards with the goal of proposing equipment for future development. Finally, sample thermal integrity profiles from cast-in-place foundations were used to demonstrate the usefulness of the developed algorithms. These examples highlighted both the strengths and weaknesses of present boring log data quality leaving room for and/or necessitating engineering judgment.

Clathrate materials comprise compounds in which guest atoms or molecules can be encapsulated inside atomic cages formed by host framework polyhedra. The unique relationship that exists between the guest species and its host results in a wide range of physical phenomena, and offers the ability to study the physics of structure-property relationships in crystalline solids. Clathrates are actively being investigated in fields such as thermoelectrics, superconductivity, optoelectronics, and photovoltaics among others. The structural subset known as type II clathrates have been studied far less than other clathrates, and this forms the impetus for the present work. In particular, the known “composition space” of type II clathrates is small, thus the need for a better understanding of possible compositions is evident. A basic research investigation into the synthesis and characterization of silicon and germanium type II clathrates was performed using a range of synthetic, crystallographic, chemical, calorimetric, and transport measurement techniques. A series of framework substituted type II germanium clathrates has been synthesized for the first time, and transport measurements indicate that these compounds show metallic behavior. In the course of the investigation into type II germanium clathrates, a new zeolite-like framework compound with its corresponding novel crystal structure has been discovered and characterized. This compound can be described by the composition Na 1-xGe3 (0 < x < 1), and corresponds to a new binary phase in the Na-Ge system. One of the most interesting aspects of type II clathrates is the ability to create compounds in which the framework cages are partially occupied, as this offers the unique opportunity to study the material properties as a function of guest content. A series of type II sodium-silicon clathrates Na xSi136 (0 < x < 24) has been synthesized in higher purity than previously reported for as-synthesized products. The transport properties of the Na xSi136 clathrates exhibit a clear dependence on the guest content x. In particular, we present for the first time thermal conductivity measurements on Na xSi136 clathrates, and observe evidence that the guest atoms in type II clathrates affect the thermal transport in these materials. Some of the crystalline Na xSi136 compounds studied exhibit very low thermal conductivities, comparable in magnitude to amorphous materials. In addition, for the first time clear evidence from transport measurements was found that resonance phonon scattering may be present in type II clathrates, as is also the case in the type I subset.

Open celled micro and nano foams fabricated from polymers and metals have attracted tremendous attention in the recent past because of their applications in numerous areas such as catalyst carriers, filtration media, ion exchange membranes and tissue engineering scaffolds. In this study open celled polymer micro- and nano foams with controllable pore size and porosity were fabricated via solid state foaming of immiscible blends. The polymer foams were used as templates for fabricating nickel foams using an ethanol based electroless plating process. Thermal conductivity of micro- and nano foams was studied as a function of pore size and porosity using finite element and molecular dynamics based models. The effect of pore size and porosity on performance of phase change material infiltrated metal foams for thermal management was investigated via numerical models. Open celled micro foams were fabricated via solid state foaming of ethylene acrylic acid (EAA) and polystyrene (PS) co-continuous blends. Blending temperature was the main parameters affecting the formation of co-continuous structure. Gas saturation and foaming studies were performed to determine ideal processing conditions for the blend. The results indicated that saturation pressure and foaming temperature were major process parameters determining the porosity of the foamed samples. Open celled polymer templates were obtained by selective extraction of PS phase using dichloromethane (DCM). Foaming resulted in faster extraction of PS and also in a higher porosity. Open celled nano foams were fabricated via solid state foaming of polyetherimide (PEI) and polyethersulfone (PES). The effect of process parameters namely saturation pressure and temperature, desorption time, and foaming temperature and time on porosity and pore size was studied. A high gas concentration and foaming temperature were required to obtain nano pore-sized foams. Throughout the cross section there existed regions with varying pore size and porosity and solid skins at the surface regions of the foam. A solvent surface dissolution process using dimethylformamide (DMF) was employed to access the internal porous structure. Micro- and nano cellular nickel foams were fabricated from EAA and PES templates via electroless plating. The structure of the nickel foams was an inverse of the polymer templates. Ethanol based electroless plating solutions were used to ensure infiltration into the porous structure because of the small pore sizes. Finite element and molecular dynamics based models were developed to predict thermal conductivity of polymer foams as a function of pore size and porosity. Pore sizes ranging from 1 nm to 1 mm were studied. Models were partially validated using experimental data. The results showed that pore size has significant effect on thermal conductivity even for microcellular and conventional foams. When the pore size is reduced to the nanometer scale, the thermal conductivity of the nano foam dramatically reduces and the value could be lower than that of air for certain porosity levels. The extremely low thermal conductivity of polymer nanofoams is possibly due to increased phonon-phonon scattering in the solid phases of the polymer matrix in addition to low thermal conductivity of gas trapped in nano sized pores. Finite element based models were also developed to study the effect of pore size and porosity on performance of phase change material infiltrated metal foams for thermal management applications. The results showed that foams with smaller pore sizes can delay the temperature rise of the heat source for an extended period of time by rapidly dissipating heat in the phase change material. The lower temperatures resulting from the use of a smaller pore size metal foam could significantly increase the lifetime of IC chips. / text