Thermal Conductivity of ZnO: From Green to Sintered State
T. Olorunyolemi,1 A. Birnboim,1 Y. Carmel,1 O. Wilson, Jr.,1
I. Lloyd,1 A. Jaworski,1 S. Smith,2 and R. Campbell2
1
University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742
2Holometrix, 25 Wiggins Avenue, Bedford, MA 01730
101st Annual Meeting & Exposition
The American Ceramic Society, Indianapolis, IN, April 25-28, 1999
ABSTRACT. The thermal conductivity of ZnO with different particle sizes (micron, submicron and nano) was measured using Laser Flash thermal diffusivity equipment. Two unexpected observations were made. First, the thermal conductivity is found to be a function of the particle size, with the lower particle size sample having the higher thermal conductivity. Second, the thermal conductivity increased monotonically for a sample heated to 600oC and then cooled down to room temperature. These behaviors are explained theoretically by combining a model for the growth of the inter-particle neck with a three-dimensional code that calculates thermal conductivity.
This work is supported by AFOSR, Ceramic Materials Program.