Photo of Mountain Harebells in Fern Meadow, Boulder, CO, by Marcia L. Huber
About The Conference

Boulder's famous backdrop, the 'Flatirons' rock formations
This is the
Symposium of the well-established series of
conferences on thermophysical properties. The Symposium is concerned with
theoretical, experimental, simulation, and applied aspects of the
thermophysical properties of gases, liquids, and solids, including
biological systems. Appropriate topics are:
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Thermodynamic Properties, including equation of state,
phase equilibria, p-V-T behavior, heat capacity, enthalpy, thermal
expansion, sound speed, and critical phenomena.
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Transport Properties, including thermal and
electrical conductivity, viscosity, mass diffusion, thermal diffusion,
non-Newtonian behavior, and thermal, thermoacoustic, and other
diffusion waves.
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Optical and Thermal Radiative Properties, including
dielectric constant, refractive index, emissivity, reflectivity, and
absorptivity.
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Interfacial Properties, including solid-solid interfaces,
surface tension, interfacial profiles, interfacial transport, and
wetting.
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Data Correlation, including data evaluation and
prediction, standard reference data, databases, and storage and retrieval
of thermophysical-property data.
Technical Areas at the
Symposium:
Click on a Session Title
below to open a description of the session:

The CU campus, with the snow-capped Rockies.
(Photo by Glenn Asakawa/University of Colorado)
- Carbon Capture,
Transportation, & Storage
Property models and measurement studies associated with all aspects of the carbon capture,
transportation, use, and sequestration cycle are welcomed. These include separations at
pre-combustion or post-combustion stages of fossil energy use; purity issues for transportation,
conversion, and storage; thermodynamics of relevant mixtures; materials compatibility issues;
properties and instrumentation associated with ensuring integrity and safety at all stages of an
industrial scale process; etc.
- Correlations,
Databases, and Engineering Equations of State
This session deals with equations of state, correlations, or empirical models that can be used to
calculate thermophysical properties of fluids or mixtures. Examples are Helmholtz energy based
equations, cubic equations of state, corresponding-states models, transport models, vaporpressure
correlations, spline interpolations, estimation models or calculation methods for
vapor-liquid equilibrium or solubilities, and surface-tension correlations. Other topics might
include fitting techniques, or group-contribution methods.
- Fluid Property Measurements
The sessions on Fluid Property Measurements are a forum for reports of
experimental studies of thermophysical properties in broad ranges of
pressure, temperature, and composition, including high accuracy
measurements on well-characterized mixtures and complex real-world
sample characterization, and safe handling of toxic and corrosive
compounds. Emphasis should be placed on the industrial relevance
(e.g., environmental, pharmaceutical, forensic, medical and energy
industries), of the results and/or their scientific significance
to better understand molecular interactions, to advance property
models and databases, or to benchmark force fields and simulation
results. The topic, scope, and style of the presentations should
fit the broad audience of these sessions.
- Instrumentation and Measurement Techniques
This session will focus only on contributions reporting novel experimental techniques or
instrumentations, either not yet published, or published within the past 12 months. The focus is
on the development of new techniques. Contributions made with established apparatus should
be submitted to other sessions.
- Ionic Liquids
Sessions in this area relate to the thermophysical properties of ionic liquids and their mixtures
and solutions. Topics of interest include gas solubility, molecular interactions, thermal
conductivity, viscosity, diffusion, densities, excess volumes and enthalpies, isothermal
compressibilities, surface tension, enthalpy of fusion, phase behavior, calorimetry, modeling and
simulation of ionic liquids, and ionic liquids as functional materials.
- Molecular Simulation
This session focuses on the use of molecular simulations to estimate and understand
thermodynamic and thermophysical properties. Applications of molecular simulations to predict
properties of fluid and/or solid systems and to elucidate physical phenomena are of particular
interest. Other strongly encouraged topics are new modeling and simulation methods, including
coarse-grained/multiscale approaches and analyses of error propagation and uncertainty
quantification between molecular models and physical properties.
- Non-equilibrium Thermodynamics
The sessions on non-equilibrium thermodynamics will focus on recent advances highlighting the
applicability of theoretical methods to investigate transport phenomena (heat, mass, charge
transport in bulk and under confinement conditions) and dissipation processes, non-equilibrium
modeling/simulation techniques and experimental studies under non-equilibrium conditions.
- Optical and Thermal Radiative Properties
Optical and thermal radiative properties of advanced materials are critically needed for energy
conversion systems, thermal management, microelectronics, materials process and
manufacturing, and noncontact temperature measurement. This focused topic will provide a
forum for participants to present the most recent research results on all aspects of
measurement, theory, simulation, and modeling of emittance, absorptance, reflectance,
transmittance, and scattering properties of surfaces, thin films, particles, periodic and aperiodic
structures and composites. Reports on the state-of-the-art theories and methods in modeling,
designing, fabricating, and testing micro/nanostructures to tailor the optical and radiative
properties in both the far field and the near field will be welcomed.
- Photothermal and Photoacoustic Thermophysics
The sessions dedicated to these topics involve advanced optical-to-thermal and
optical-to-acoustic/ultrasonic analytical experimental and theoretical methodologies developed
and utilized for thermophysical property measurements in all states of matter. Reports in PT and
PA methodologies and their applications are solicited.
- Properties for Materials Science at High Temperatures
These sessions will concentrate on experimental and theoretical aspects for the measurement
of thermophysical properties of materials at high temperature. Measurement timescales span
the continuum from highly non-equilibrium subsecond thermophysics to quasi-static and
equilibrium techniques used for identification of properties for metallurgical process design.
- Properties of Aqueous Systems
We seek papers about the measurement, theory, and correlation of thermodynamic and
transport properties of water and of aqueous solutions. In addition to fundamental studies of
thermodynamic and transport properties, we encourage papers that relate these properties of
aqueous solutions to applications such as chemical process design and environmental science.
- Properties for Fuels and Energy Systems
These sessions deal with thermophysical properties of fuels including natural gas,
petroleum-based fuels, coal-based fuels, oil sands, shale gas, and gas hydrates. Also of interest
are properties of systems related to carbon capture and sequestration as well as gas injection.
Past sessions have included viscosity, density, calorimetry, phase behavior, fuel and oil
characterization, thermal conductivity, and thermal degradation. Experimental, modeling, and
simulation studies are all encouraged.
- Properties of Polymers
These sessions focus on experimental measurements, theories, and simulations of the
properties of polymeric materials. While any concept about polymer properties is welcomed,
specific interests include the interfacial behavior of polymers, new developments in
multi-modal measurement techniques, and systems such as block copolymers, nanocomposites,
fibers, and thin films. Topics that have relevance to sustainability and human health are highly
sought after.
- Properties of Solids
Sessions in this area are devoted to the thermophysical properties of solids. Topics of interest
include but are not limited to thermal properties of solids, thermodynamic studies of phase
transitions, and thermal deformation. We seek papers using experimental, theoretical and/or
computational methods in fundamental research and/or applications in areas such as energy,
environment, industrial processes and life sciences.
- Properties of Working Fluids including Refrigerants
Papers reporting experimental measurements or models for the properties of fluids intended as
working fluids in thermodynamic cycles are solicited. This would include thermodynamic and
transport properties, equations of state and other models, pure fluids and mixtures. Working
fluids for refrigeration and power cycles are of interest. Data and models for the "new"
low-GWP refrigerants and working fluids for organic Rankine cycles are particularly welcome;
this would include fluids with boiling points higher than typical refrigerants. Papers comparing
one cycle versus another or one fluid versus another in a particular cycle are generally not of
interest, unless the focus is clearly on the property characteristics.
- Theory of Thermophysical Properties
This session focuses on the use of molecular theory to predict thermophysical properties,
including molecular based equations of state, classical density functional theory, first principles
and machine-learned based approaches.
- Thermal Properties of Nanostructured Materials
This session will cover a wide spectrum of research on thermophysical properties of
nanostructured materials. Properties of interest include (not limited to) thermal conductivity,
diffusivity, specific heat, interface thermal resistance, and energy carrier dynamics. Both
nanoscale and nanostructured materials are covered, with examples spanning quantum dots,
nanowires/tubes, thin films, 2D materials, their composites, and nanofluids. New technology
developments are also welcome in our session to push the boundaries of measurement physical
scale, time resolution, and accuracy. Both experimental and theoretical investigation, and
computer modeling to look into the physics underpinning thermal transport in nanostructured
materials are welcome.
- Properties of Metastable and Glassy Systems
This session focuses on metastability and nucleation in water and aqueous systems. Topics of
interest include: supercooled, superheated and stretched liquid; subcooled vapor;
supersaturated solutions; metastable polymorphic crystals. We also seek works on nucleation of
droplets, bubbles, crystals and clathrate hydrates; amorphous ices and aging; and other
properties and processes related to phase transitions in aqueous systems.
- Wetting, Interfaces, Membranes, and Hydrates
Submissions that relate to the following topics are encouraged for these sessions: structure and
thermodynamics of interfaces, theory and computer simulation, wetting and fluctuation effects,
interplay between wetting and phase behavior in confined geometry, kinetics of phase
transitions, dynamics at interfaces, structure formation in synthetic and biological, amphiphilic
systems, energy materials, and gas hydrates & clathrates.
- Posters
Posters may cover any topic area of the Symposium.
- Software Demonstrations
Software Demonstartions may cover any topic area of the Symposium.
Please send your comments and suggestions to the Symposium organizers
through the
Symposium email address:
All technical sessions will be held at the University of Colorado,
Boulder, Colorado, U.S.A. The Symposium is organized by the National Institute of Standards and
Technology, and the Joint ASME-AIChE Committee on Thermophysical
Properties.