Use-cases for Thermally Conductive Materials

Human interaction with heat is as old as the radiance from a fire.  Measurement of heat is a much younger endeavor.  The concept of measuring temperature was considered as early as the third century BCE, but not until the end of the 16^th century CE was a rudimentary device invented by Galileo that could determine if a temperature had changed.  This thermoscope was created in an attempt to know if a fever was present in a patient but it had no numeric values.  A few years later, another Italian scientist developed what is considered the first true thermometer with rudimentary numeric values.  A half-century later, a sealed thermometer was invented to eliminate the inaccuracies due to barometric pressure, and yet another half-century later in 1714, Daniel Fahrenheit invented the mercury thermometer, bringing much greater accuracy to science and medicine.

Not merely coincidentally, the Industrial Revolution was getting underway at around the time of the improvement of thermal measurement.  Powering machines requires and creates heat, which must be managed and tuned to the purposes.  The flow of heat into and out of the materials of machines, especially the metals, is a critical factor in the operation, longevity and efficiency of these machines.  In some fundamental respects, there is little new in the world of working machines (and now thinking machines) where it is incumbent on the designer to have a primary focus on the flow of thermal energy through the materials of the device in order to maximize the work done and minimize the efforts needed to remove excess heat.  Before you can manage or solve a problem, you need to know how big it is…by measuring it.  Today, a major field of study for students in mechanical engineering is related to thermal conductivity, diffusivity and management.

Where is thermal measurement used?

• Materials Science: The most obvious reason to use thermal measurement is in the study and design of the materials themselves.  To match a material to a specific purpose, it is best to understand the pertinent properties in depth before investing time in forming a material in situ.  The science of thermal measurement can inform the researcher of the ability of the material to perform properly in the desired situation.  Factors such as the co-efficient of expansion, phase transition points, decomposition temperatures and thermal diffusivity can all be known with proper testing, and once known, can inform the researcher of the fitness for use of this material in this situation.
• Biological/Medical Research: Non-invasive techniques can be used to measure changes in the tissues, heat maps can be established to locate areas of disease and non-functioning biosystems, and thermoregulation can be mapped to indicate areas of interest. 
• Chemistry: Calorimetric measurements are essential to the study of the enthalpy of chemical reactions, determining if exo- or endo-thermic activities are occurring.
• Engineering: Thermal testing can be used as a non-destructive method to determine the presence and nature of flaws in solid structures, particularly useful in verifying 3D printed objects.

Where can samples be tested for thermal conductance and diffusivity?

• ACS Material and ACS Thermal have the ability to perform most of the commonly used tests on your samples.
• If you have continuous need for thermal testing, you may want to consider an investment in a testing device that will give you access to frequent testing. This is especially helpful if you are developing new materials and will have many tests on many variants of the material.  ACS can help you there as well with our ThermalSure in-line testing protocol.  Contact ACS Material for more information.