Effective thermal conductivity of functionally graded particulate nanocomposites with interfacial thermal resistance

By means of a fundamental solution for a single inhomogeneity embedded in a functionally graded material matrix, a self-consistent model is proposed to investigate the effective thermal conductivity distribution in a functionally graded particulate nanocomposite. The 'Kapitza thermal resistance' along the interface between a particle and the matrix is simulated with a perfect interface but a lower thermal conductivity of the particle. The results indicate that the effective thermal conductivity distribution greatly depends on Kapitza thermal resistance, particle size, and degree of material gradient. [DOI: 10.1115/1.2936893] Keywords: functionally graded nanocomposites, effective thermal conductivity, self-consistent method, Kapitza thermal resistance, heat conduction