Thermal conductivity of a RTV silicone elastomer between 1.2 and 300 K

✍ Scribed by A Baudot; J Mazuer; J Odin

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1998
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 150 KB
• Volume: 38
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0011-2275
• DOI: 10.1016/s0011-2275(97)00146-x

✦ Synopsis

The thermal conductivity of a room temperature vulcanized silicone elastomer has been measured between 1.2 and 300 K. The values first increase from 2 × 10 -3 W/m.K at 1.2 K to a maximum value of 0.30 W/m.K at 220 K and then quickly drop, remaining at the constant value of 0.27 W/m.K from 240 to 300 K. The maximum corresponds to the melting temperature of the polydimethylsiloxane, the base polymer of the elastomer. A small jump, observed between 75 and 90 K, is attributed to the release of the methyl groups which become free to rotate at upper temperatures. The general behaviour over the whole temperature range is that of the partly crystallized polymers. It is discussed and compared to the behaviour of the completely amorphous materials.