Temperature dependence of thermal resistance of a bare joint

Temperature dependence of thermal resistance of a bare joint between two crossed platinum wires was measured using a quasi steady-state T-type probe in the temperature range of 100–300 K. The thermal resistance was found to decrease rapidly as the temperature increased from 100 to 200 K, then the trend slowed down, which could be explained by the temperature behaviors of the hardness and elastic modulus of platinum. Considering both the microscopic and macroscopic thermal resistances, the calculated results fitted well with the experimental data, and the obtained conductance–load exponent was also within the reasonable range.