The Effect of Interstitial Layers on Thermal Boundary Conductance Between Lennard-Jones Crystals

Author(s):  
Timothy S. English ◽  
John C. Duda ◽  
Donald A. Jordan ◽  
Pamela M. Norris ◽  
Leonid V. Zhigilei

Thermal transport at the interface between Lennard-Jones crystals is explored via non-equilibrium molecular dynamics simulations. The vibrational properties of each crystal are varied by changing the atomic mass of the crystal. By applying a constant thermal flux across the two-crystal composite system, a steady-state temperature gradient is established and thermal boundary conductance at the interface between the crystals is calculated via Fourier’s law. With the material properties of the two crystals fixed, thermal boundary conductance can be affected by an intermediate layer inserted between the two crystals. It is found that when the interstitial layer atomic mass is between those values of the crystals comprising the interface, interfacial transport is enhanced. This layer helps bridge the gap between the different vibrational spectra of the two materials, thus enhancing thermal transport, which is maximized when the interstitial layer atomic mass approaches the average mass of the two fixed crystals. The degree of enhancement depends on the vibrational mismatch between the interstitial layer and the crystals comprising the interface, and we report an increase in thermal boundary conductance of up to 50%.

2014 ◽  
Vol 16 (20) ◽  
pp. 9403-9410 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiao-wang Zhou ◽  
Reese E. Jones ◽  
Patrick E. Hopkins ◽  
Thomas E. Beechem

Using molecular dynamics simulations, we studied the thermal boundary conductance between GaN nanowires and Al films and showed how it may be possible to enhance interfacial thermal transport in this important system.


Author(s):  
E. S. Landry ◽  
A. J. H. McGaughey ◽  
M. I. Hussein

Molecular dynamics simulations and the Green-Kubo method are used to predict the thermal conductivity of binary Lennard-Jones superlattices and alloys. The superlattice thermal conductivity trends are in agreement with those obtained through the direct method, verifying that the Green-Kubo method can be used to examine thermal transport in heterostructures. The simulation temperature and the constituent species are fixed while the superlattice period structure is varied with the goals of (i) minimizing the cross-plane thermal conductivity and (ii) maximizing the ratio of in-plane to cross-plane thermal conductivities. The superlattice thermal conductivity in both the cross-plane and in-plane directions is found to be greater than the corresponding alloy value and less than the value predicted from continuum theory. The anisotropy of the thermal conductivity tensor is found to be at a maximum for a superlattice with a uniform layer thickness. Lattice dynamics calculations are used to investigate the role of optical phonons in the thermal transport.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mingxuan Jiang ◽  
Juan D. Olarte-Plata ◽  
Fernando Bresme

The Interfacial Thermal Conductance (ITC) is a fundamental property of mate- rials and has particular relevance at the nanoscale. The ITC quanti�es the thermal resistance between materials of dierent compositions or between uids in contact with materials. Furthermore, the ITC determines the rate of cooling/heating of the materi- als and the temperature drop across the interface. Here we propose a method to com- pute local ITCs and temperature drops of nanoparticle- uid interfaces. Our approach resolves the ITC at the atomic level using the atomic coordinates of the nanomaterial as nodes to compute local thermal transport properties. We obtain high-resolution descriptions of the interfacial thermal transport by combining the atomistic nodal ap- proach, computational geometry techniques and \computational farming" using Non- Equilibrium Molecular Dynamics simulations. We illustrate our method by analyzing various nanoparticles as a function of their size and geometry, targeting experimentally relevant structures like capped octagonal rods, cuboctahedrons, decahedrons, rhombic dodecahedrons, cubes, icosahedrons, truncated octahedrons, octahedrons and spheres. We show that the ITC of these very dierent geometries can be accurately described in terms of the local coordination number of the atoms in the nanoparticle surface. Nanoparticle geometries with lower surface coordination numbers feature higher ITCs, and the ITC generally increases with decreasing particle size.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Penghua Ying ◽  
Jin Zhang ◽  
Yao Du ◽  
Zheng Zhong

In this paper, we conduct a comprehensive investigation on the thermal transport in one-dimensional (1D) van der Waals (vdW) heterostructures by using non-equilibrium molecular dynamics simulations. It is found that the boron nitride nanotube (BNNT) coating can increase the thermal conductance of inner carbon nanotube (CNT) base by 36%, while the molybdenum disulfide nanotube (<a>MSNT</a>) coating can reduce the thermal conductance by 47%. The different effects of BNNT and MSNT coatings on the thermal transport behaviors of 1D vdW heterostructures are explained by the competition mechanism between improved heat flux and increased temperature gradient in 1D vdW heterostructures. By taking CNT@BNNT@MSNT as an example, thermal transport in 1D vdW heterostructures containing three layers is also investigated. It is found that the coaxial BNNT-MSNT coating can significantly reduce the thermal conductance of inner CNT base by 61%, which is even larger than that of an individual MSNT coating. This unexpected reduction in thermal conductance of CNT@BNNT@MSNT can be explained by the suppression of heat flux arising from the possible compression effect, since BNNT-MSNT coating in CNT@BNNT@MSNT can more significantly suppress the vibration of inner CNT when compared to the individual MSNT coating in CNT@MSNT. In addition to the in-plane thermal transport, the interfacial thermal conductance between inner and outer nanotubes in 1D vdW heterostructures is also examined to provide a quantitative understanding of the thermal transport behaviors of1D vdW heterostructures. This work is expected to provide molecular insights into tailoring the heat transport in carbon base 1D vdW heterostructures and thus facilitate their broader applications as thermal interface materials.


Author(s):  
Babak Kouchmeshky ◽  
Peter Kroll ◽  
Ibukun Olubanjo

Careful design of composite materials offers a chance for engineering phonon band gaps and controlling phonon scattering. Taking advantage of this strategy, we study properties of SiC composite materials for engineering applications in which the control of thermal transport is important. In particular, knowledge of the individual contributions of phonons on thermal transport provides us the necessary information to focus on most significant phonon frequencies. In our study, we select a series of candidate model geometries and use a virtual testing method for elevated temperatures to support the design process. Integrating atomistic non-equilibrium molecular dynamics simulations to determine thermal conductivity we provide a proof-of-concept study and deliver best design scenarios of SiC composite materials with very low-thermal conductivity.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Aravind Krishnamoorthy ◽  
Nitish Baradwaj ◽  
Aiichiro Nakano ◽  
Rajiv K. Kalia ◽  
Priya Vashishta

AbstractEngineering thermal transport in two dimensional materials, alloys and heterostructures is critical for the design of next-generation flexible optoelectronic and energy harvesting devices. Direct experimental characterization of lattice thermal conductivity in these ultra-thin systems is challenging and the impact of dopant atoms and hetero-phase interfaces, introduced unintentionally during synthesis or as part of deliberate material design, on thermal transport properties is not understood. Here, we use non-equilibrium molecular dynamics simulations to calculate lattice thermal conductivity of $${\mathrm {(Mo|W)Se_2}}$$ ( Mo | W ) Se 2 monolayer crystals including $${\mathrm {Mo}}_{1-x}{\mathrm {W}}_x{\mathrm {Se_2}}$$ Mo 1 - x W x Se 2 alloys with substitutional point defects, periodic $${\mathrm {MoSe_2}|\mathrm {WSe_2}}$$ MoSe 2 | WSe 2 heterostructures with characteristic length scales and scale-free fractal $${\mathrm {MoSe_2}}|{\mathrm {WSe_2}}$$ MoSe 2 | WSe 2 heterostructures. Each of these features has a distinct effect on phonon propagation in the crystal, which can be used to design fractal and periodic alloy structures with highly tunable thermal conductivities. This control over lattice thermal conductivity will enable applications ranging from thermal barriers to thermoelectrics.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Penghua Ying ◽  
Jin Zhang ◽  
Yao Du ◽  
Zheng Zhong

In this paper, we conduct a comprehensive investigation on the thermal transport in one-dimensional (1D) van der Waals (vdW) heterostructures by using non-equilibrium molecular dynamics simulations. It is found that the boron nitride nanotube (BNNT) coating can increase the thermal conductance of inner carbon nanotube (CNT) base by 36%, while the molybdenum disulfide nanotube (<a>MSNT</a>) coating can reduce the thermal conductance by 47%. The different effects of BNNT and MSNT coatings on the thermal transport behaviors of 1D vdW heterostructures are explained by the competition mechanism between improved heat flux and increased temperature gradient in 1D vdW heterostructures. By taking CNT@BNNT@MSNT as an example, thermal transport in 1D vdW heterostructures containing three layers is also investigated. It is found that the coaxial BNNT-MSNT coating can significantly reduce the thermal conductance of inner CNT base by 61%, which is even larger than that of an individual MSNT coating. This unexpected reduction in thermal conductance of CNT@BNNT@MSNT can be explained by the suppression of heat flux arising from the possible compression effect, since BNNT-MSNT coating in CNT@BNNT@MSNT can more significantly suppress the vibration of inner CNT when compared to the individual MSNT coating in CNT@MSNT. In addition to the in-plane thermal transport, the interfacial thermal conductance between inner and outer nanotubes in 1D vdW heterostructures is also examined to provide a quantitative understanding of the thermal transport behaviors of1D vdW heterostructures. This work is expected to provide molecular insights into tailoring the heat transport in carbon base 1D vdW heterostructures and thus facilitate their broader applications as thermal interface materials.


Author(s):  
Patrick E. Hopkins ◽  
John C. Duda ◽  
Pamela M. Norris

Continued reduction of characteristic dimensions in nanosystems has given rise to increasing importance of material interfaces on the overall system performance. With regard to thermal transport, this increases the need for a better fundamental understanding of the processes affecting interfacial thermal transport, as characterized by the thermal boundary conductance. When thermal boundary conductance is driven by phononic scattering events, accurate predictions of interfacial transport must account for anharmonic phononic coupling as this affects the thermal transmission. In this paper, a new model for phononic thermal boundary conductance is developed that takes into account anharonic coupling, or inelastic scattering events, at the interface between two materials. Previous models for thermal boundary conductance are first reviewed, including the Diffuse Mismatch Model, which only consdiers elastic phonon scattering events, and earlier attempts to account for inelastic phonon scattering, namely, the Maximum Transmission Model and the Higher Harmonic Inelastic model. A new model is derived, the Anharmonic Inelastic Model, which provides a more physical consideration of the effects of inelastic scattering on thermal boundary conductance. This is accomplished by considering specific ranges of phonon frequency interactions and phonon number density conservation. Thus, this model considers the contributions of anharmonic, inelastically scattered phonons to thermal boundary conductance. This new Anharmonic Inelastic Model shows excellent agreement between model predictions and experimental data at the Pb/diamond interface due to its ability to account for the temperature dependent changing phonon population in diamond, which can couple anharmonically with multiple phonons in Pb.


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