Thermal conduction in solids

Qudsia Tariq (FA12-RPH-003)

Key Points
Thermal conductivity
Thermal conductivity in solids

Importance of electrons and phonons in thermal cond Temperature dependence of thermal conductivity

Thermal Conductivity
The thermal conductivity of a material describes how well the material conducts heat The ability of a material to conduct heat is depends upon its value of thermal conductivity(K)

Thermal Conductivity
Thermal conduction (often denoted k, , or ) in a solid is generally the ratio of the steady-state heat flow (heat transfer per unit area per unit time) to the temperature gradient (e.g along the rod) In SI units, thermal conductivity is measured in watts per meter kelvin (W/(m.K)) Thermal conductivity varies widely depending upon temperature, purity and physical state of the solids, particularly at low temperatures.

Mechanism of thermal conduction in solid

In solids, thermal conduction results from conduction by lattice vibrations and from conduction by electrons

In insulating materials, the conduction is by lattice waves (phonons)

In pure metals, the lattice contribution is negligible and the heat conduction is primarily due to electrons

In many alloys, impure metals, and semiconductors,

In solids as temperature increases molecules will begin to vibrate. Molecules having higher temperature at the hot part of the body will vibrate with more agitation than molecules at the lower temperature part of the body
In conduction heat transfer, between the molecules which are very adjacent, to each other while vibrating and this energy is kept on transferring from hot region to the cold region or from hot body to the cold body materials in decreasing order of thermal conductivity are: 1. Pure metals 2. Metal alloys 3. Non-metallic crystalline and amorphous substances 4. Liquids

Heat conduction in solids and liquids works by transferring energy through bonds between atoms or molecules In metals conductivity is primarily due to free electrons There are a number of ways to measure thermal conductivity e.g in metals, the WiedemannFranz law is the ratio of the electronic contribution of the thermal conductivity () to the electrical conductivity () of a metals, and is proportional to the temperature(T)

Thermal Conductivity in Solids

In metals, thermal conductivity is dominent than electrical conductivity according to the WiedemannFranz law, as freely moving valence electrons transfer not only electric current but also heat energy
the electrical conductivity, in metals, decreases with increasing temperature Theoretically, the proportionality constant L, known as the Lorenz number, is equal to

On the other hand, heat conductivity in nonmetals is mainly due to lattice vibrations ( i.e diffusion of phonons) phonons as heat carriers are relatively more important in non-metals Phonon theory explains the deviation of thermal conductivity from electrical conductivity in non-metals

highly electrically conductive silver is less thermally conductive than diamond, which is an electrical insulator, but due to its orderly array of atoms it is conductive of heat via phonons

Heat and Atoms

Heat causes atoms to vibrate
Vibrating in synch is often Generates waves of atomic motion. called phonons, similar to photons but atomic motion instead of optical quanta

Temperature dependence of thermal conductivity

Analogous to electron scattering, thermal conductivity of materials is temperature dependent At higher Temp, more scattering of electrons AND phonons, thus less transfer of heat The effect of temperature on thermal conductivity is different for different material e.g metals and nonmetals

Metals & Alloys: free e- pick up energy due to thermal vibrations of atoms as T increases and lose it when it decreases.

Insulators (Dielectrics): no free e-. Phonons (lattice vibration quanta) are created as T increases, eliminated as it decreases.
A phonon is a quantum mechanical description of an elementary vibrational motion in which a lattice of atoms or molecules uniformly oscillates at a single frequency

Applications
Used in electrically insulating materials (ceramics) for microelectronic applications, e.g. SiC, Si3N4,diamond

Thank You