Introduction to thermal transport

The relentless increase in the thermal loads imposed on devices and materials structures is driving renewed interest among materials scientists and engineers in the area of thermal transport. Applications include thermal barrier coatings on turbine blades, thermoelectric coolers, high-performance thermal transfer liquids, and heat dissipation in microelectronics. These, and other applications, demand not only ever more efficient thermal management, but also a better fundamental understanding of the underlying physical mechanisms.