Estimating error in measuring thermal conductivity using a T-type nanosensor

We discuss the measurement error caused by fabrication and measurement of a T-type nanosensor with a suspended sub-micrometer Pt hot film that was developed to measure the thermal properties of individual nanowire materials. Comparison of numerical simulation and one-dimensional analysis revealed that the thermal conductivity of nanowire material such as a carbon nanotube is calculated to be 17% lower. As an example, the thermal conductivity measurement result for a SiC nanowire is reported. The error caused by contact thermal resistance is found to depend on the contact length and can be as great as 20%. It can be said that future measuring can have higher reliability by correcting the estimated measurement error. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heat Trans Asian Res; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/htj.20228