Thermal Property Measurements on Biological Materials at Subzero Temperatures

Abstract

The self-heated thermistor technique was used to measure the thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity of biomaterials at low temperatures. Thermal standards were selected to calibrate the system at temperatures from −10°C to −70°C. The thermal probes were constructed with a convection barrier which eliminates convection inside liquid samples of low viscosity, without affecting the conductivity and diffusivity results. Using this technique, the thermal conductivity and diffusivity of two organ perfusates (HP5 and HP5 + 2M glycerol), one kidney phantom (a low ionic strength gel), as well as rabbit kidney cortex have been measured from −10°C to −70°C.