Model Interpretation of Thermal Conductivity in High Polymers I. Amorphous High Polymers

Abstract The following model conception describing heat transfer in amorphous materials, especially in high polymers, is derived. An “elementary” thermal resistance is assigned to each bond between adjacent atoms. The thermal resistance of a macroscopic amorphous specimen is that of a three-dimensional network consisting of elementary thermal resistances with the atoms as the junction points. Elementary thermal resistance decreases with increasing force constant of the bond. Therefore the elementary thermal resistance of a main valence bond is about ten times smaller than that of a van der Waals bond. This simple conception enables us to describe the thermal conductivity of amorphous materials quantitatively, for instance the break in the thermal conductivity curve of amorphous high polymers observed at the second-order transition temperature.