Prediction of Thermal Conductivities of Rubbers by MD Simulations—New Insights

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Contributors

Abstract

In this article, two main approaches to the prediction of thermal conductivities by molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are discussed, namely non-equilibrium molecular dynamics simulations (NEMD) and the application of the Green–Kubo formula, i.e., EMD. NEMD methods are more affected by size effects than EMD methods. The thermal conductivities of silicone rubbers in special were found as a function of the degree of crosslinking. Moreover, the thermal conductivities of thermoplastic polyurethane as function of the mass fraction of soft segments were obtained by those MD simulations. All results are in good agreement with data from the experimental literature. After the analysis of normalized heat flux autocorrelation functions, it has been revealed that heat in the polymers is mainly transferred by low-frequency phonons. Simulation details as well as advantages and disadvantages of the single methods are discussed in the article.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Article number2046
JournalPolymers
Volume14
Issue number10
Publication statusPublished - 1 May 2022
Peer-reviewedYes

Keywords

Keywords

  • degree of crosslinking, force fields, Green–Kubo method, molecular dynamics simulations, non-equilibrium molecular dynamics simulations, polyisoprene, rubber, thermal conductivity, thermoplastic polyurethane