Off-lattice Monte Carlo simulation of the thermal conductivity of single-walled carbon nanotube-polymer composites with inter-carbon nanotube contact

Hai M. Duong, Dimitrios V. Papavassiliou, Namiko Yamamoto, Brian L. Wardle

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

Abstract

A computational model is developed to study the thermal conductivity of single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT)-polymer composites. An off-lattice Monte Carlo simulation was used to model the effects of interfacial resistance at the SWNT-polymer interface and at the SWNT- SWNT contact on the heat flow for different orientations of SWNTs dispersed in the polymers. A primary focus is the non-isotropic heat conduction in aligned-SWNT polymeric composites that are of interest for various heat conduction applications such as microelectronic heat sinks, and also because this geometry constitutes a representative volume element (RVE) of CNT-reinforced polymer matrices in hybrid advanced composites under development. The simulation is an extension of a previous model for heat transfer in nanocomposites in that it now considers SWNT-SWNT contact. The simulation results of the developed model are compared with those of the previous model. The effects of SWNT orientation, SWNT-SWNT contact, weight fraction and thermal boundary resistance on the effective conductivity of composites are quantified. The present model is a useful tool for the prediction of the thermal conductivity within a wide range of volume fractions of the SWNTs, including the case when SWNTs are in contact with each other.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publication2008 Proceedings of ASME International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition, IMECE 2008
Pages1171-1176
Number of pages6
EditionPART B
DOIs
StatePublished - 2009
Event2008 ASME International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition, IMECE 2008 - Boston, MA, United States
Duration: Oct 31 2008Nov 6 2008

Publication series

NameASME International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition, Proceedings
NumberPART B
Volume13

Other

Other2008 ASME International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition, IMECE 2008
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityBoston, MA
Period10/31/0811/6/08

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Mechanical Engineering

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