ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an introduction to heat transfer in diffusion. Heat transfer and diffusion play major roles in the survival of cells in a matrix and function of a tissue in vivo. The ability to store, generate, and dispose of heat is extremely important to human life. The human body strives to maintain a relatively steady body temperature to operate optimally. There are three primary ways to transport heat: conduction, convection, and radiation. Heat transfer from conduction is the result of the collision of molecules. Diffusion is an extremely important concept in tissue engineering. The diffusion of ions, nutrients, and waste products is extremely important for cellular health and eventual tissue regeneration. Diffusion coefficients are of huge consequence in tissue engineering is the use of growth factors and other biomolecules to enhance tissue growth and development within a scaffold.
