EFFECT OF THE INTERFACE ON THE PROPERTIES OF COMPOSITE MEDIA

We develop rigorous bounds on the effective thermal conductivity cr, o f dispersions that are given in terms of the phase contrast between th e inclusions and matrix, the interface strength, volume fraction, and higher-order morphological information, including interfacial statisti cs. The new bounds give remarkably accurate predictions of the thermal conductivity of dispersions of metallic particles in epoxy matrices f or various values of the Kapitza resistance. Corresponding results are obtained for the novel situation in which the inclusions possess a su perconducting interface.