Thermal conductivity of glassy materials and the “boson peak"

ABSTRACTWe have been developing a collection of low-cost experiments for exploring the science of glassy materials through hands-on activities with sucrose based glass (a.k.a. hard candy). These form a mini-curriculum of glass science, consisting of inter-related experiments and home built apparatuses. It provides an environment to develop an understanding of glassy materials through active, prolonged engagement. Some of our earlier experiments were reported four years ago[1]. Since that report we have made substantial improvements and added new topics, including electrical and thermal conductivity, an improved DTA apparatus, and improved methodology for crystallization kinetics. All of our experiments are designed to be low-cost (typically <$100) and the apparatuses are designed for construction by students or teachers.

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On the microscopic origin of the “boson” peak in glassy materials

Physics Letters A ◽

10.1016/0375-9601(94)90159-7 ◽

1994 ◽

Vol 195 (3-4) ◽

pp. 236-244 ◽

Cited By ~ 30

Author(s):

F.J. Bermejo ◽

A. Criado ◽

J.L. Martinez

Keyword(s):

Boson Peak ◽

Glassy Materials ◽

Microscopic Origin

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Hysteresis of Low-Temperature Thermal Conductivity and Boson Peak in Glassy (g) As2S3: Nanocluster Contribution

Nanoscale Research Letters ◽

10.1186/s11671-017-2125-6 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

V. Mitsa ◽

A. Feher ◽

S. Petretskyi ◽

R. Holomb ◽

V. Tkac ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Thermal Conductivity ◽

Low Temperature ◽

Boson Peak

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Home-built Apparatus for Measuring Thermal Conductivity of Glass and Polymer Materials

MRS Proceedings ◽

10.1557/opl.2014.375 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 1657 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

William R. Heffner ◽

Shera Demchak ◽

John Scruggs ◽

Ray Pearson

Keyword(s):

Thermal Conductivity ◽

Low Cost ◽

Linear Increase ◽

Polymer Materials ◽

Oxide Glasses ◽

Quantitative Measurements ◽

Fill Fraction ◽

Glassy Materials ◽

Glass Science

ABSTRACTAs a part of the IMI-NFG’s series of low-cost experiments in glass science [1,2] we have developed a simple home-built apparatus for measuring the thermal conductivity of glassy materials, from polymers to oxide glasses, in the range of 0.1 to 1.5 W/ °C. Our apparatus is inexpensive, relatively easy to construct and accurate enough for students to use for quantitative measurements of their own glass or polymer samples. Standard materials are used to demonstrate good correlation with literature values. We also measured the thermal conductivity of a silica filled epoxy and showed a linear increase with fill fraction to 20%. This simple, low-cost method can provide students and researchers with a much broader access to this important property.

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