Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
7058943 | International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer | 2013 | 6 Pages |
Abstract
In this study, non-equilibrium molecular dynamics (NEMD) simulations are performed to determine the effective thermal conductivity of nanocomposites embedded with a variety of nanoparticles. The effects of orientation and arrangement of asymmetric nanoparticles, thermal property mismatch at the interface, interface density per unit volume of nanocomposite, and polydispersity of nanoparticles on the effective thermal conductivity of nanocomposites are investigated. Simulation results are compared with existing model predictions based on the effective medium approach. Results indicate that, with the same particle volume fraction, the nanocomposites that have a larger interfacial area perpendicular to heat flow or a larger interface density yield a smaller effective thermal conductivity. In addition, a larger mismatch at the interface between the host material and nanoparticle inclusions leads to a smaller effective thermal conductivity. Finally, it is found that the effective thermal conductivity of nanocomposites decreases with increasing polydispersity of embedded nanoparticles.
Keywords
Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering
Chemical Engineering
Fluid Flow and Transfer Processes
Authors
Zhiting Tian, Han Hu, Ying Sun,