Key Laboratory for Liquid-Solid Structural Evolution and Processing of Materials, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250061, China.
Nanoscale. 2017 May 11;9(18):5996-6009. doi: 10.1039/c7nr00327g.
Superinsulating materials play a pivotal role in achieving the sustainable development of our modern world by improving energy efficiency, and reducing energy consumption and CO emission. Nanocellular polymer foams have been considered as a promising superinsulating material, but their development is yet to be achieved. The understanding of thermal transport through the nanocellular foam is crucial for developing this superinsulating material. Herein, we report an accurate mathematical model for the first time to quantitatively estimate thermal transport through the nanocellular polymer foam. This is realized by taking into account the phonon scattering effect, the Knudsen effect and the thin-film interference effect in modeling the thermal transport through solid conduction, gas conduction and thermal radiation, respectively. We demonstrate a quantitative relationship between the cellular structure and the equivalent thermal conductivity and present the optimum cellular structure scope for achieving the superinsulating performance. In particular, the significance of thermal radiation in the nanocellular polymer foam is emphasized. This mathematical model offers a very useful tool for deeply understanding thermal transport through the nanocellular polymer foams, and guiding the development of the new generation of superinsulating materials.
超级绝热材料通过提高能源效率、减少能源消耗和二氧化碳排放，在实现我们现代世界的可持续发展方面发挥着关键作用。纳米多孔聚合物泡沫被认为是一种很有前途的超级绝热材料，但仍有待开发。了解纳米多孔泡沫中的热传递对于开发这种超级绝热材料至关重要。在此，我们首次报道了一个精确的数学模型，用于定量估计通过纳米多孔聚合物泡沫的热传递。这是通过分别考虑声子散射效应、克努森效应和薄膜干涉效应，在模型化固体传导、气体传导和热辐射中的热传递来实现的。我们展示了多孔结构与等效热导率之间的定量关系，并提出了实现超级绝热性能的最佳多孔结构范围。特别强调了热辐射在纳米多孔聚合物泡沫中的重要性。该数学模型为深入了解通过纳米多孔聚合物泡沫的热传递提供了一个非常有用的工具，并为新一代超级绝热材料的开发提供了指导。
