Thermal conductivity of Tecamax® SRP from millikelvin temperatures to room temperature

Abstract

Tecamax® SRP (self-reinforced polyphenylene) is a new commercially available amorphous polymer which is suitable for use at cryogenic temperatures. It has a high tensile strength (210MPa at room temperature), resulting from the molecular structure of the polymer rather than by the addition of reinforcing materials. We have measured the thermal conductivity between 60mK and 280K. We find that the conductivity below 10K is similar to, but lower than, most amorphous materials, and the material offers a good combination of low conductivity at low temperatures and high tensile strength. Our results suggest that the material may in fact have a small crystalline component, which may be a partial explanation for the low conductivity. Above 10K, the temperature dependence of the conductivity is different from most amorphous materials. We are unaware of previous measurements of the thermal conductivity of this material, even at room temperature.