# Characterization of Heat Conduction Performance in Sodium Polyacrylate Hydrogels with Varying Water Content

## TL;DR

This paper studies how water content affects the thermal properties of sodium polyacrylate hydrogels, showing how they can be tuned for better heat conduction in engineering.

## Contribution

The study introduces predictive models for thermal conductivity and specific heat capacity of PAAS hydrogels based on water content.

## Key findings

- Thermal conductivity increases rapidly with water content before decreasing, reaching a 66% enhancement over PAAS powder.
- Specific heat capacity rises exponentially and approaches water's value asymptotically.
- Predictive models for thermal properties are validated through numerical simulations.

## Abstract

Sodium polyacrylate (PAAS) hydrogel is a functional polymer known for its excellent water absorption, retention, and thermal stability; however, its thermal conductivity behavior in engineering applications remains insufficiently understood. In this paper, two experimental setups were designed and constructed to measure the specific heat capacity and thermal conductivity of PAAS hydrogel in liquid, powder, and fluid–structure coupled states. The results show that the thermal conductivity initially increases rapidly with increasing water content and then decreases, achieving a maximum enhancement of 66% compared with PAAS powder. In contrast, the specific heat capacity exhibits an exponential increase and asymptotically approaches that of water. These findings demonstrate the thermal properties of PAAS hydrogel can be effectively tuned by adjusting its water content. Based on a composite material parameter model, simple predictive relationships for both specific heat capacity and thermal conductivity were established as functions of water content. Numerical simulations using the Fourier heat conduction equation validate the proposed models, with thermal relaxation behaviors in good agreement with experimental observations. Therefore, this work not only quantifies the thermal conductivity performance of PAAS hydrogels but also provides practical predictive models for the thermal design of hydrogel-based materials with enhanced heat transfer efficiency in engineering applications.