Thermal Conductivity Testing of NanoMaterials
Nanomaterials are an exciting area of material science research and engineering. Nanomaterials offer unique electrical properties, extraordinary strength and great efficiency in heat conduction. Application areas for nanomaterials include electronics, optics, medicine and architecture - offering tremendous potential for groundbreaking discovery. The TCi Thermal Conductivity Analyzer has proven to be an important tool to researchers assisting in the development and characterization of nanomaterials.
The TCi is the optimal choice for researchers in the characterization of nanomaterials as the materials are expensive and time-consuming to produce in the development phase. With the TCi small-volume test kit, researchers don't need to produce the larger volumes of sample material typically required by more traditional methods.
 Recent published work outlines how researchers at Texas Tech and Florida State Universities leverage the TCi’s capabilities to help investigate mechanical methods used to shorten carbon nanotubes (CNTs) for improving dispersion without reducing their thermal conductivity. Single walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) were mechanically cut to produce short and open-ended fullerene pipes. These shortened SWCNTs were then used in polymer composites. Both atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy characterizations suggested that nanotube shortening significantly improved CNT dispersion. Thermal conductivity of composites containing shorter CNTs were subsequently found to be much better than those containing pristine CNTs.
Similarly, researchers at the School of Materials and Mineral Resources Engineering at the Universiti Sains Malaysia employed the TCi Thermal Conductivity Analyzer for looking at the effects of surface-functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) on the properties of poly(dimethyl siloxane) (PDMS).
Resources:
Technical Papers
Dispersion and Thermal Conductivity of Carbon Nanotube Composites
Authors: Shiren Wang,Richard Liang, Ben Wang and Chuck Zhang
Department of Industrial Engineering, Texas Tech University, 2500 Broadway, Lubbock, TX 79409, USA
High-Performance Materials Institute, Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32310, USA
Effects of Surface-Functionalized Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes on the Properties of Poly(dimethyl siloxane) Nanocomposites
Authors: T.P. Chua, M. Mariatti, A. Azizan and A.A. Rashid
School of Materials and Mineral Resources Engineering, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 14300 Nibong Tebal, Penang, Malaysia
Client References:
“We wanted something that was going to measure small volumes and do it in a rapid and easy format and the TCi Thermal Conductivity instrument was perfect for our needs. The thing I like most about the TCi is it is extremely easy to use.”
- Dr. Steven Oldenburg, CEO, NanoComposix (Sector: nano materials)
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