Abstract
We present the concept of a locally resonant nanophononic metamaterial for thermoelectric energy conversion. Our configuration, which is based on a silicon thin film with a periodic array of pillars erected on one or two of the free surfaces, qualitatively alters the base thin-film phonon spectrum due to a hybridization mechanism between the pillar local resonances and the underlying atomic lattice dispersion. Using an experimentally fitted lattice-dynamics-based model, we conservatively predict the metamaterial thermal conductivity to be as low as 50% of the corresponding uniform thin-film value despite the fact that the pillars add more phonon modes to the spectrum.
- Received 24 June 2013
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.112.055505
© 2014 American Physical Society
Focus
FocusSlowing Heat without Obstructions
Published 7 February 2014
Adding extra material on top of a sheet of silicon could, surprisingly, reduce its ability to transport heat, according to simulations, and this property could benefit future refrigeration or energy-generating devices.
See more in Physics
