Thermal conductivity of high-porosity biocarbon preforms of beech wood

This paper reports on measurements performed in the temperature range 5–300 K for the thermal conductivity κ and electrical resistivity ρ of high-porosity (cellular pores) biocarbon preforms prepared by pyrolysis (carbonization) of beech wood in an argon flow at carbonization temperatures of 1000 and 2400°C. X-ray structure analysis of the samples has been performed at 300 K. The samples have revealed the presence of nanocrystallites making up the carbon matrices of these biocarbon preforms. Their size has been determined. For samples prepared at T _carb = 1000 and 2400°C, the nanocrystallite sizes are found to be in the ranges 12–25 and 28–60 κ(T) are determined for the samples cut along and across the tree growth direction. The thermal conductivity κ increases with increasing carbonization temperature and nanocrystallite size in the carbon matrix of the sample. Thermal conductivity measurements conducted on samples of both types have revealed an unusual temperature dependence of the phonon thermal conductivity for amorphous materials. As the temperature increases from 5 to 300 K, it first increases in proportion to T, to transfer subsequently to ∼T ^1.5 scaling. The results obtained are analyzed.     

Thermal conductivity of the amorphous and nanocrystalline phases of the beech wood biocarbon nanocomposite

Natural composites (biocarbons) obtained by carbonization of beech wood at different carbonization temperatures T _carb in the range of 800–2400°C have been studied using X-ray diffraction. The composites consist of an amorphous matrix and nanocrystallites of graphite and graphene. The volume fractions of the amorphous and nanocrystalline phases as functions of T _carb have been determined. Temperature dependences of the phonon thermal conductivity κ(T) of the biocarbons with different temperatures T _carb (1000 and 2400°C) have been analyzed in the range of 5–300 K. It has been shown that the behavior of κ(T) of the biocarbon with T _carb = 1000°C is controlled by the amorphous phase in the range of 5–50 K and by the nanocrystalline phase in the range of 100–300 K. The character of κ(T) of the biocarbon with T _carb = 2400°C is determined by the heat transfer (scattering) in the nanocrystalline phase over the entire temperature range of 5–300 K.     

Thermopower of beech wood biocarbon

This paper reports on measurements of the thermopower S of high-porosity samples of beech wood biocarbon with micron-sized sap pores aligned with the tree growth direction. The measurements have been performed in the temperature range 5–300 K. The samples have been fabricated by pyrolysis of beech wood in an argon flow at different carbonization temperatures (T _carb). The thermopower S has been measured both along and across the sap pores, thus offering a possibility of assessing its anisotropy. The curves S(T _carb) have revealed a noticeable increase of S for T _carb < 1000°C for all the measurement temperatures. This finding fits to the published data obtained for other physical parameters, including the electrical conductivity of these biocarbons, which suggests that for T _carb ∼ 1000°C they undergo a phase transition of the insulator-(at T _carb < 1000°C)-metal-(at T _carb > 1000°C) type. The existence of this transition is attested also by the character of the temperature dependences S(T) of beech wood biocarbon samples prepared at T _carb above and below 1000°C.     

Thermal conductivity of high-porosity cellular-pore biocarbon prepared from sapele wood

This paper reports on measurements (in the temperature range T = 5–300 K) of the thermal conductivity κ(T) and electrical conductivity σ(T) of the high-porosity (～63 vol %) amorphous biocarbon preform with cellular pores, prepared by pyrolysis of sapele wood at the carbonization temperature 1000°C. The preform at 300 K was characterized using X-ray diffraction analysis. Nanocrystallites 11–30 Å in ize were shown to participate in the formation of the carbon network of sapele wood preforms. The dependences κ(T) and σ(T) were measured for the samples cut across and along empty cellular pore channels, which are aligned with the tree growth direction. Thermal conductivity measurements performed on the biocarbon sapele wood preform revealed a temperature dependence of the phonon thermal conductivity that is not typical of amorphous (and X-ray amorphous) materials. The electrical conductivity σ was found to increase with the temperature increasing from 5 to 300 K. The results obtained were analyzed.     

Thermal conductivity of high-porosity biocarbon precursors of white pine wood

This paper reports on measurements of the thermal conductivity κ and the electrical conductivity σ of high-porosity (cellular pores) biocarbon precursors of white pine tree wood in the temperature range 5–300 K, which were prepared by pyrolysis of the wood at carbonization temperatures (T _carb) of 1000 and 2400°C. The x-ray structural analysis has permitted the determination of the sizes of the nanocrystallites contained in the carbon framework of the biocarbon precursors. The sizes of the nanocrystallites revealed in the samples prepared at T _carb = 1000 and 2400°C are within the ranges 12–35 and 25–70 Å, respectively. The dependences κ(T) and σ(T) are obtained for samples cut along the tree growth direction. As follows from σ(T) measurements, the biocarbon precursors studied are semiconducting. The values of κ and σ increase with increasing carbonization temperature of the samples. Thermal conductivity measurements have revealed that samples of both types exhibit a temperature dependence of the phonon thermal conductivity κ_ph, which is not typical of amorphous (and amorphous to x-rays) materials. As the temperature increases, κ_ph first varies proportional to T, to scale subsequently as ～T ^1.7. The results obtained are analyzed.     

Thermal conductivity of high-porosity heavily doped biomorphic silicon carbide prepared from sapele wood biocarbon

The electrical resistivity and thermal conductivity of high-porosity (～52 vol %, channel-type pores) bio-SiC samples prepared from sapele wood biocarbon templates have been measured in the temperature range 5–300 K. An analysis has been made of the obtained results in comparison with the data for bio-SiC samples based on beech and eucalyptus, as well as for polycrystalline β-SiC. The conclusion has been drawn that the electrical resistivity and thermal conductivity of bio-SiC samples based on natural wood are typical of heavily doped polycrystalline β-SiC.     

Effect of activation on the porous structure and the strain and strength properties of beech wood biocarbon

The effect of activation on the size, specific volume, and surface area of pores in a monolithic biomorphic material obtained by carbonization of beech wood is studied. It is shown that under optimal activation mode with a steam heated to 970°C, the total pore volume and surface, determined by adsorption curves, increased by 20 and 18 times, respectively. With the use of high-precision interferometric procedure, strain curves are obtained under uniaxial compression with a stepwise loading, and the strain rate is measured with a step of moving of 325 nm for activated and nonactivated samples. Despite an increase in porosity, the strength and maximum deformation of the samples do not decrease. The behavior of the strain rate jumps is analyzed in the micro- and nanometer range. It is shown that the maximum size of the micrometer jumps (4 μm) correlates well with the average size of the possible strain area in the samples (the average distance between the pores of small size), and the minimum dimensions of the strain jumps are close to the size of mesopores. Assessment of the strain change and its rate upon activation indicates that the effect of activation on the strain and strength characteristics is defined by nanometer defects, the most likely of which are microand mesopores.     

Dynamical conductivity at the dirty superconductor-metal quantum phase transition

We study the transport properties of ultrathin disordered nanowires in the neighborhood of the superconductor-metal quantum phase transition. To this end we combine numerical calculations with analytical strong-disorder renormalization group results. The quantum critical conductivity at zero temperature diverges logarithmically as a function of frequency. In the metallic phase, it obeys activated scaling associated with an infinite-randomness quantum critical point. We extend the scaling theory to higher dimensions and discuss implications for experiments.     

Universal scaling of the conductivity at the superfluid-insulator phase transition

The scaling of the conductivity at the superfluid-insulator quantum phase transition in two dimensions is studied by numerical simulations of the Bose-Hubbard model. In contrast to previous studies, we focus on properties of this model in the experimentally relevant thermodynamic limit at finite temperature T. We find clear evidence for deviations from omega k scaling of the conductivity towards omega k/T scaling at low Matsubara frequencies omega k. By careful analytic continuation using Padé approximants we show that this behavior carries over to the real frequency axis where the conductivity scales with omega/T at small frequencies and low temperatures. We estimate the universal dc conductivity to be sigma* = 0.45(5)Q2/h, distinct from previous estimates in the T = 0, omega/T > 1 limit.     

Thermal conductivity of the transition metals

The thermal conductivity of the transition metals is examined with an account of the features of their electronic structure. It is shown that the thermal conductivity is governed by the form of the stable d-electron configuration, their statistical weights, their energetic stability, and by the number of collectivized electrons.Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii Fizika, Vol. 12, No. 5, pp. 41–47, May, 1969.     

Thermal conductivity in a rigidity transition

The thermal conductivity (κ(T)) in a lattice is studied as a function of rigidity by using the Kubo-Greenwood formula. The rigidity is modulated by changing the second neighbour interactions. The results show that κ(T) is strongly determined by the rigid character of the network through the low frequency vibrational modes. The transition from an isostatic to overconstrained lattices is thus reflected in the behavior of κ(T).     

Heat capacity and phonon mean free path in the biocarbon matrix of beech

Physics of the Solid State - The heat capacity at constant pressure C p of the biocarbon matrix prepared at a beech wood carbonization temperature of 1000°C has been measured in the...     

Thermal acoustic radiation in model membranes at phase transition of lipids

The objects under investigation were model membranes, i.e., multilayer liposomes from phospholipids (dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine and dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine). Thermal acoustic radiation was measured in the megahertz frequency range at phase transitions of lipids from a liquid crystal state to a gel (on cooling) and, vice versa, from a gel state to a liquid crystal (on heating of the liposome suspension). In this case, the intensity of thermal radiation varied, i.e., increased on cooling and decreased on heating. This effect was shown to be related to the increase in absorption in liposomes at the phase transition.     

Thermal conductivity of partially graphitized biocarbon obtained by carbonization of medium-density fiberboard in the presence of a Ni-based catalyst

The thermal conductivity k and resistivity ρ of biocarbon matrices, prepared by carbonizing medium-density fiberboard at T _carb = 850 and 1500°C in the presence of a Ni-based catalyst (samples MDF-C( Ni)) and without a catalyst (samples MDF-C), have been measured for the first time in the temperature range of 5–300 K. X-ray diffraction analysis has revealed that the bulk graphite phase arises only at T _carb = 1500°C. It has been shown that the temperature dependences of the thermal conductivity of samples MDFC- 850 and MDF-C-850(Ni) in the range of 80–300 K are to each other and follow the law of k(T) ～ T ^1.65, but the use of the Ni-catalyst leads to an increase in the thermal conductivity by a factor of approximately 1.5, due to the formation of a greater fraction of the nanocrystalline phase in the presence of the Ni-catalyst at T _carb = 850°C. In biocarbon MDF-C-1500 prepared without a catalyst, the dependence is k(T) ～ T ^1.65, and it is controlled by the nanocrystalline phase. In MDF-C-1500(Ni), the bulk graphite phase formed increases the thermal conductivity by a factor of 1.5–2 compared to the thermal conductivity of MDF-C-1500 in the entire temperature range of 5–300 K; k(T = 300 K) reaches the values of ～10 W m^–1 K^–1, characteristic of biocarbon obtained without a catalyst only at high temperatures of T _carb = 2400°C. It has been shown that MDF-C-1500(Ni) in the temperature range of 40?300 K is characterized by the dependence, k(T) ～ T ^1.3, which can be described in terms of the model of partially graphitized biocarbon as a composite of an amorphous matrix with spherical inclusions of the graphite phase.     

Thermal equilibrium during the electroweak phase transition

The perturbative effective potential for the Standard Model develops a barrier, at temperatures around the electroweak scale, which separates the minimum at zero field and a deeper non-zero minimum. This could create out of equilibrium conditions by inducing the localization of the Higgs field in a metastable state around zero. In this picture vacuum decay would occur through bubble nucleation. I show that there is an upper bound on the Higgs mass for the above scenario to be realized. The barrier must be high enough to prevent thermal fluctuations of the Higgs expectation value from establishing thermal equilibrium between the two minima. The upper bound is estimated to be lower than the experimental lower limit. This also imposes constraints on extensions of the Standard Model constructed in order to generate a strongly first order phase transition.     

Proton conductivity and phase transition in potassium hydroxide monohydrate

The ionic conductivity of a proton conductor, namely, potassium hydroxide monohydrate, has been studied in the temperature range of 200–410 K. It has been established that the temperature dependence of the conductivity has the Arrhenius form with an activation enthalpy of ～0.4 eV. The pre-exponential factors for the intervals above and below room temperature differ by a factor of ～2.5. The anomalous temperature behavior observed in the range of 285–345 K indicates a phase transition with T _c ～ 295 K. The mechanism of proton transport has been discussed.     

Thermal conductivity of R-410A mixture in the vapor phase

Thermal conductivity of R-410A mixture in the vapor phase (314–428 К and 0.1–2.0 MPa) has been studied by the steady-state method of coaxial cylinders. Experimental uncertainties of temperature, pressure, and thermal conductivity measurements did not exceed 0.05 K, 4 kPa, and 1.5-2.5 %, respectively. The approximating equation has been obtained for thermal conductivity depending on temperature and pressure. Thermal conductivity on dew line and in ideal-gas state has been calculated.     

Thermal conductivity of refrigerant R-415A in the vapor phase

Thermal conductivity of refrigerant R-415A in the vapor phase has been studied by the steady-state method of coaxial cylinders in the range of temperatures 308–415 K and pressures 0.12–1.68 MPa. The approximation dependence of thermal conductivity on pressure and temperature was determined. Thermal conductivity on the dew line and in the ideal gas state was calculated.     

Baryogenesis at the weak phase transition

The weak phase transition of the hot big bang can produce quarks, leptons and weak bosons which are out of thermal equilibrium. In a simple extension of the standard model it is shown that the reactions following top quark decays can generate the cosmological baryon asymmetry. The top quark mass must be close to 80 GeV and the Higgs boson must be lighter than 1 GeV. This baryogenesis mechanism can be directly tested at e⁺e⁻ and hadron collider by searching for spectacular events containing six or more bottom quarks and a violation of baryon number at the decay vertex of a long lived neutral particle.     

Thermal phase transition for some spin-boson models

In this work we study two different spin-boson models. Such models are generalizations of the Dicke model, it means they describe systems of N$N$ identical two-level atoms coupled to a single-mode quantized bosonic field, assuming the rotating wave approximation. In the first model, we consider the wavelength of the bosonic field to be of the order of the linear dimension of the material composed of the atoms, therefore we consider the spatial sinusoidal form of the bosonic field. The second model is the Thompson model, where we consider the presence of phonons in the material composed of the atoms. We study finite temperature properties of the models using the path integral approach and functional methods. In the thermodynamic limit, N→∞$N\to \infty$, the systems exhibit phase transitions from normal to superradiant phase at some critical values of temperature and coupling constant. We find the asymptotic behavior of the partition functions and the collective spectrums of the systems in the normal and the superradiant phases. We observe that the collective spectrums have zero energy values in the superradiant phases, corresponding to the Goldstone mode associated to the continuous symmetry breaking of the models. Our analysis and results are valid in the limit of zero temperature β→∞$\beta \to \infty$, where the models exhibit quantum phase transitions.