Changes in the mechanism of heat transfer in passing from microparticles to nanoparticles

On the basis of experimental data on thermal conduction and sound velocity in composites obtained by sintering detonation nanodiamonds with the crystallite size of 4–5 nm and diamond micropowders with a grain size of about 10 $\mu$m at a high pressure (5–7 GPa) and high temperature (1200–1800$^\circ$C), mechanisms of heat transfer in such structures are suggested. These mechanisms are shown to be different in composites of micro- and nanoparticles. In composites of micrometer particles, the conventional macroscopic mechanism of phonon propagation is active. In composites with a grain size of a few nanometers, the main contribution comes from thermal resistance on grain boundaries.