Abstract
Because of its large specific surface areas due to its nanoscale structure, film made up with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) is an expected material for enhancing heat exchange. The specific behavior of gas molecules inside the film, however, has not been clarified yet. In this study, we analyzed the behavior of gas molecules inside the film numerically. The film was modeled by piling up cylinders representing CNTs, and different scattering models were used to investigate the diffusive movement of gas molecules. We calculated the scattering angle distributions and intrusion depth of gas molecules. We confirmed that although energy exchange of each collision between single CNT and a gas molecule is small, randomly oriented structure of CNT film induced diffusive movement of gas molecules, which leads to high accommodation between the film and gas molecules.
