Thermal conductivity the list of thermal conductivities. These should be considered approximate due to the uncertainties related to material definitions. High energy generation rates within electronics or turbines require the use of materials with high thermal conductivity such as copper "(see: Copper in heat exchangers)", aluminium, and silver. On the other hand, materials with low thermal conductance, such as polystyrene foam and fire brick, are used in building construction or in furnaces in an effort to slow the flow of heat, i.e. for insulation purposes. The reciprocal of thermal conductivity is "thermal resistivity", usually expressed in kelvin-meters per watt (K⋅m⋅W). For a
Interfacial thermal resistance of the spectrum, one of the highest thermal conductances "measured" is between aluminum and copper. At room temperature, the Al-Cu interface has a conductance of 4 GW m K. The high thermal conductance of the interface should not be unexpected given the high electrical conductivity of both materials. The superior thermal conductivity of Carbon nanotubes makes it an excellent candidate for making composite materials. But interfacial resistance impacts the effective thermal conductivity. This area is not well studied and only a few studies have been done to understand the basic mechanism of this resistance. Interfacial thermal resistance Interfacial thermal resistance,