Effective thermal conductivity of carbon nanotube composites

Abstract

A simple model for expressing effective thermal conductivity of carbon nanotubes composites was established, in consideration of the orientation distribution of carbon nanotubes. A formula for calculating the thermal conductivity of carbon nanotubes composites was deduced by using Maxwell theory. The theoretical model can interpret the anomalous enhancement in thermal conductivity of oil suspensions in carbon nanotubes. The model is also useful to study the transport properties of the nanotube composites. The calculated results of the model agree well with the experimental results.