Thermal conductivity in multi-wall carbon nanotube/silica-based nanocomposites

Thermal conductivities of fully dense multi-wall carbon nanotube/silica nanocomposites processed by spark plasma sintering were evaluated using a laser flash technique. It was found that incorporation of 5 and 10 vol.% carbon nanotube improved the conductivities of the nanocomposites, and this improvement was enhanced with increasing sintering temperature and duration. A maximum conductivity of 4.08 W m−1 K−1 was measured for 10 vol.% carbon nanotube-containing nanocomposites sintered at 1050 °C for 10 min.