Thermal conductivity of the opal-epoxy resin nanocomposite

Abstract

The effective thermal conductivity κeff of seven opal + epoxy resin nanocomposite samples with 100% filling of first-order pores by epoxy resin was measured in the 100-to 300-K temperature interval. In the nanocomposite studied, the thermal conductivity of the matrix (amorphous SiO2 spheres) is larger than that of the filler material (epoxy resin). κeff(T) of the opal + epoxy resin nanocomposite at intermediate temperatures (100–300 K) is shown to behave similar to pure opal. An explanation of the observed effect is proposed.