Nonmetallic high thermal conductivity

High thermal conductivity. Heat is carried through metals by collisions between electrons, which occur frequently. Saucepans used for cooking commonly contain aluminum, copper, or stainless steel their handles are made of a nonmetallic material that is a good thermal insulator. 

A number of nonmetallic materials are called high thermal conductivity materials. The most notable of these is diamond, with a thermal conductivity of 2000 Wm K. All of the others have a dia-mond-Uke stracture, and include boron nitride, BN, and aluminium nitride, AIN (Table 15.2). 

G.A. Slack, Nonmetallic Crystals widi High Thermal Conductivity, /. Phys. Chem. Solids, 34 321-335 (1973)... 

Solids. The thermal conductivity of homogeneous solids varies quite widely, as may be seen for some typical values in Table- 4.1-1. The metallic solids of copper and aluminum have very high thermal conductivities, and some insulating nonmetallic materials such as rock wool and corkboard have very low conductivities. 

GA Slack. Nonmetallic crystals with high thermal conductivity. J Phys Chem Solids 34 32, 1973. 

A satisfactory theory of metallic bonding must account for the characteristic properties of high electrical and thermal conductivity, metallic lustre, ductility and the complex magnetic properties of metals which imply the presence of unpaired electrons. The theory should also rationalise the enthalpies of atomisation A/f tom of metallic elemental substances. A/f tom is a measure of the cohesive energy within the solid, and we saw in Chapter 5 how it plays an important part in the thermochemistry of ions in solids and solutions. The atomisation enthalpies of elemental substances (metallic and nonmetallic) are collected in Table 7.1. There is a fair correlation between A/Z tom an(J physical properties such as hardness and melting/boiling points. 

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