12. Effect of Micro-Cracks on the Thermal Conductivity of Particulate Nanocomposite

The effect of micro-cracks on the thermal conductivity of particle-reinforced nanocomposites is investigated. Two different particles (Carbon nanotube and Silicon dioxide) with different geometries are considered to account for the effect of particle aspect ratio. Three batches of specimens, two with and one without nano-fillers are fabricated. First, the thermal conductivity of the as-fabricated samples were measured using steady state linear heat transfer unit. Afterwards, the samples were subjected to cyclic loading and at the end of every 5000 cycles the samples were taken out and the thermal conductivity was measured. At the same time, the Modulus of Elasticity of the specimens were determined using uniaxial compression test. Based on these results, the effect of micro-cracks on the thermal conductivity of the nanocomposites is presented. In addition, the relation between micro-cracks, stiffness, and thermal conductivity are presented.