In analogy to an electrical diode, a thermal rectifier transports heat more easily in one direction than in the reverse direction. Among various possible nanoscale rectification mechanisms, a ballistic rectifier relies on asymmetric scattering of energy carriers, as has been suggested for phonon transport in a sawtooth nanowire [S. Saha, L. Shi, & R. Prasher, IMECE 2006] or nanowire with special surface specularity function [N.A. Roberts and D.G. Walker, ITherm 2008]. We have used a Landauer-Buttiker method as well as a Monte Carlo method to model the asymmetric heat transport in such nanostructures, with careful attention to boundary conditions that satisfy the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics. The calculations show that ballistic rectification is only significant at relatively large “thermal bias,” which causes significant anisotropy in the distribution function of energy carriers emitted at each of the two thermal contacts. We also propose experiments to observe this phenomenon using either phonons or photons.
Skip Nav Destination
ASME 2009 Heat Transfer Summer Conference collocated with the InterPACK09 and 3rd Energy Sustainability Conferences
July 19–23, 2009
San Francisco, California, USA
Conference Sponsors:
- Heat Transfer Division
ISBN:
978-0-7918-4357-4
PROCEEDINGS PAPER
Thermal Rectification by Ballistic Phonons in Asymmetric Nanostructures
John Miller,
John Miller
University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA
Search for other works by this author on:
Wanyoung Jang,
Wanyoung Jang
University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA
Search for other works by this author on:
Chris Dames
Chris Dames
University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA
Search for other works by this author on:
John Miller
University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA
Wanyoung Jang
University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA
Chris Dames
University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA
Paper No:
HT2009-88488, pp. 317-326; 10 pages
Published Online:
March 12, 2010
Citation
Miller, J, Jang, W, & Dames, C. "Thermal Rectification by Ballistic Phonons in Asymmetric Nanostructures." Proceedings of the ASME 2009 Heat Transfer Summer Conference collocated with the InterPACK09 and 3rd Energy Sustainability Conferences. Volume 2: Theory and Fundamental Research; Aerospace Heat Transfer; Gas Turbine Heat Transfer; Computational Heat Transfer. San Francisco, California, USA. July 19–23, 2009. pp. 317-326. ASME. https://doi.org/10.1115/HT2009-88488
Download citation file:
47
Views
Related Proceedings Papers
Related Articles
Monte Carlo Simulation of Silicon Nanowire Thermal Conductivity
J. Heat Transfer (October,2005)
Backward Monte Carlo Simulations in Radiative Heat Transfer
J. Heat Transfer (February,2003)
Modified Method of Characteristics for Simulating Microscale Energy Transport
J. Heat Transfer (October,2004)
Related Chapters
Short-Pulse Collimated Radiation in a Participating Medium Bounded by Diffusely Reflecting Boundaries
International Conference on Mechanical and Electrical Technology, 3rd, (ICMET-China 2011), Volumes 1–3
Model and Simulation of Low Elevation Ground-to-Air Fading Channel
International Conference on Instrumentation, Measurement, Circuits and Systems (ICIMCS 2011)
Scattering of Out-Plane Line Source Load by a Shallow-Embedded Circular Lining Structure and the Ground Motion
Geological Engineering: Proceedings of the 1 st International Conference (ICGE 2007)