Top 10 thermal conductive materials
Thermal Conductivity of materials.
Thermal Conductivity (W/m·K): Measures how much heat (in watts) is conducted through a material over a certain distance (meters) for each degree of temperature difference (kelvin).
Higher values mean heat moves more easily through the material.
Graphene |████████████████████████████████████████████
Diamond |███████████████████████████████
Boron Arsenide |███████████████████████
Carbon Nanotubes |██████████████████████████████████
Silver |███████
Copper |██████
Gold |█████
Aluminum Nitride |███
Silicon Carbide |███
Aluminum |████
Below is a list of the top 10 materials known for their exceptional thermal conductivities:
| Rank | Material | Thermal Conductivity (W/m·K) | Times Higher than Copper | Applications |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Graphene | Up to 5300 | ~13.2x | Advanced electronics, thermal management, nanotechnology |
| 2 | Diamond | 2200 | ~5.5x | High-power electronics, heat sinks, cutting tools |
| 3 | Carbon Nanotubes | Up to 3000 | ~7.5x | Composites, electronics, thermal interfaces |
| 4 | Boron Arsenide (BAs) | Up to 1300 | ~3.2x | Semiconductor devices, thermal management |
| 5 | Silver | 429 | ~1.07x | Electronics, jewelry, thermal interfaces |
| 6 | Copper | 401 | 1x (Baseline) | Electrical wiring, heat exchangers |
| 7 | Gold | 318 | ~0.79x | Electronics, connectors, jewelry |
| 8 | Silicon Carbide (SiC) | 120–270 | ~0.3x–0.67x | High-temp electronics, abrasives, LEDs |
| 9 | Aluminum Nitride (AlN) | 140–180 | ~0.35x–0.45x | Electronic substrates, heat sinks |
| 10 | Aluminum | 237 | ~0.59x | Heat exchangers, automotive parts |
Variability of Values: The thermal conductivity of materials like graphene, diamond, and carbon nanotubes can vary significantly based on factors such as purity, isotopic composition, and structural defects.
To better understand the comparison, here’s a bar chart representing the thermal conductivities of these materials:
To understand the significance of these numbers, let’s compare them with the thermal conductivities of everyday materials:
Water: ~0.6 W/m·K
Wood: ~0.1–0.2 W/m·K
Glass: ~1 W/m·K
Concrete: ~1.7 W/m·K
Steel: ~50 W/m·K
Thermal conductivity
Thermal conductivity of materials Thermal conductivity (λ) is a material property that quantifies its ability to conduct thermal energy. It is a crucial parameter in thermophysical sciences, determining the rate at which heat is transferred across a material under a temperature gradient. Metals, such as copper and aluminum, exhibit high
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