Media from: MIT scientists transform polyethylene into a heat-conducting material
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The new method involves pulling a thin thread of material (top) from a liquid solution (bottom), and in the process the individual polymer filaments, which start out as a tangled mass, become very highly aligned.
Illustration courtesy of Gang Chen
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At top, an illustration of the tangled nature of the polymer filaments, with heat-stopping voids indicated as dark blobs. When drawn and heated into a thin thread (bottom), the molecules line up and the voids are compressed, making the material a good conductor.
Illustration courtesy of Gang Chen
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