THERMAL-CONDUCTIVITY OF POLYMERS, GLASSES AND CERAMICS BY MODULATED DSC

This study describes a new method for the measurement of the thermal c onductivity of insulating materials in the range from 0.1 to 1.5 W deg rees C-1 m(-1) which generally covers polymers, ceramics and glasses. The method is based on modulated DSC and includes no modification or a dditions to the apparatus itself. One additional calibration step is r equired to compensate for heat loss through the inert purge gas surrou nding the test specimen. Best case precision is in the order of 2%, wi th mean values compared to literature values within 1%. While work to date includes only temperatures near ambient, measurements above and b elow ambient seem possible. Further work is also currently in progress to evaluate the applicability of this method to a broader range of ma terials.