The effects of vacancy defects and nitrogen doping on the thermal conductivity of armchair (10, 10) single-wall carbon nanotubes

The influence of vacancy defects and nitrogen doping on the thermal conductivity of typical armchair (10, 10) single-walled carbon nanotubes is investigated using molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. The second-generation reactive empirical bond order potential and Tersoff potential are used to describe the interatomic interactions and the thermal conductivities are calculated using the Müller-Plathe approach (also called non-equilibrium MD simulation). Vacancy defects decrease the thermal conductivity whereas the substitution of nitrogen at vacancy sites improves the thermal conductivity. Quantum correction of the calculated results produces a thermal conductance temperature dependence that is in qualitative agreement with experimental data.     

Anharmonicity induced thermal modulation in stressed graphene

Thermal properties are essentially decided by atomic geometry and thus stress is the most direct way for manipulating. In this paper, we investigate stress modulation of thermal conductivity of graphene by molecular dynamics simulations and discuss the underlying microscopic mechanism. It is found that thermal conductivity of flexural-free graphene increases with compression and decreases with strain, while thermal conductivity of flexural-included graphene decreases with both compression and strain. Such difference in thermal behavior originates from the changes in the anharmonicity of the interatomic potential, where the wrinkle scattering is responsible for the thermal conductivity diminishment in flexural-included graphene under strain. By comparing the results obtained from the Tersoff and AIREBO potentials, it is revealed that the degree of the symmetry of interatomic potential determines the thermal conductivity variation of graphene. Our results indicate that the symmetry of interatomic potential should be taken into careful consideration in constructing the lattice model of graphene.     

Effects of doping, Stone Wales and vacancy defects on thermal conductivity of single-wall carbon nanotubes

The thermal conductivity of carbon nanotubes with certain defects (doping, Stone-Wales, and vacancy) is investigated by using the non-equilibrium molecular dynamics method. The defective carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are compared with perfect tubes. The influences of type and concentration of the defect, length, diameter, and chirality of the tube, and the ambient temperature are taken into consideration. It is demonstrated that defects result in a dramatic reduction of thermal conductivity. Doping and Stone-Wales (SW) defects have greater effect on armchair tubes, while vacancy affects the zigzag ones more. Thermal conductivity of the nanotubes increases, reaches a peak, and then decreases with increasing temperature. The temperature at which the thermal conductivity peak occurs is dependent on the defect type. Different from SW or vacancy tubes, doped tubes are similar to the perfect ones with a sharp peak at the same temperature. Thermal conductivity goes up when the tube length grows or diameter declines. It seems that the length of thermal conductivity convergence for SW tubes is much shorter than perfect or vacancy ones. The SW or vacancy tubes are less sensitive to the diameter change, compared with perfect ones.     

硅功能化石墨烯热导率的分子动力学模拟

采用Tersoff势函数与Lennard-Jones势函数,结合速度形式的Verlet算法和Fourier定律,对单层和两层硅功能化石墨烯沿长度方向的导热性能进行了正向非平衡态分子动力学模拟.通过模拟发现,硅原子的加入改变了石墨烯声子的模式、平均自由程和移动速度,使得单层硅功能化石墨烯模型的热导率随着硅原子数目的增加而急剧地减小.在300 K至1000 K温度变化范围内,单层硅功能化石墨烯的热导率呈下降趋势,具有明显的温度效应.对双层硅功能化石墨烯而言,少量的硅原子嵌入,起到了提高热导率的作用,但当硅原子数目达到一定数量后,材料的导热性能下降.     

碳纳米管电缆式复合材料的热导率

通过非平衡分子动力学方法, 对单壁碳管填充金纳米线的碳纳米管电缆式复合材料开展热导率的模拟分析. 采用Tersoff势函数描述碳-碳原子间的相互作用, Lennard-Jones长程作用势描述碳-金原子间的相互作用, 嵌入原子势函数描述金-金原子间相互作用. 研究结果表明: 相同尺寸下, 金纳米线的电子热导率相较于空碳管以及电缆式复合材料的声子热导率小很多, 对复合材料总热导率的贡献可以忽略; 由于管内金纳米线的存在, 其与碳管的相互作用使得碳管碳原子倾向于沿着轴向振动, 声子间U散射随之减少, 声子平均自由程增加, 导致复合材料热导率明显大于空碳管, 在100–500 K温度范围内高出约20%–45%, 但增大幅度随温升呈降低趋势; 复合材料热导率随着管长增加而增大, 变化趋势和空碳管相似, 但其增长幅度更大; 复合材料和空碳管的热导率随管径增大而减小, 且变化幅度基本一致. 关键词： 碳纳米管 纳米线 电缆式复合材料 导热     

The effect of the electron-phonon coupling on the thermal conductivity of silicon nanowires

The thermal conductivity of free-standing silicon nanowires (SiNWs) with diameters from 1-3?nm has been studied by using the one-dimensional Boltzmann's transport equation. Our model explicitly accounts for the Umklapp scattering process and electron-phonon coupling effects in the calculation of the phonon scattering rates. The role of the electron-phonon coupling in the heat transport is relatively small for large silicon nanowires. It is found that the effect of the electron-phonon coupling on the thermal conduction is enhanced as the diameter of the silicon nanowires decreases. Electrons in the conduction band scatter low-energy phonons effectively where surface modes dominate, resulting in a smaller thermal conductivity. Neglecting the electron-phonon coupling leads to overestimation of the thermal transport for ultra-thin SiNWs. The detailed study of the phonon density of states from the surface atoms and central atoms shows a better understanding of the nontrivial size dependence of the heat transport in silicon nanowire.     

Thermal conductivity of periodic array of intermolecular junctions of silicon nanowires

Recent studies on intramolecular junctions of silicon nanowires and carbon nanotubes have revealed a wealth of intriguing phenomena. However, the thermal properties of the intramolecular junctions of silicon nanowires (SiNWs) are not yet well understood. In this study periodic arrays of intramolecular junctions with different lattice orientations are investigated, and their thermal conductivities are calculated using nonequilibrium molecular dynamics (NEMD) simulations. Different from the X-shaped and Y-shaped junctions of carbon nanotubes, no distinct jump is found in the temperature profile at the junctions. Compared with straight pristine SiNWs of the same length, the thermal conductivity of the periodic array of intramolecular junctions is reduced. The underlying mechanism of the observed behavior is analyzed by the phonon spectral density of the atomic velocities. The dependence of temperature on the thermal conductivity of this junction array structure is discussed.     

Thermal stability of silicon nanowires: atomistic simulation study

Using the Stillinger--Weber (SW) potential model, we investigate the thermal stability of pristine silicon nanowires based on classical molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. We explore the structural evolutions and the Lindemann indices of silicon nanowires at different temperatures in order to unveil atomic-level melting behaviour of silicon nanowires. The simulation results show that silicon nanowires with surface reconstructions have higher thermal stability than those without surface reconstructions, and that silicon nanowires with perpendicular dimmer rows on the two (100) surfaces have somewhat higher thermal stability than nanowires with parallel dimmer rows on the two (100) surfaces. Furthermore, the melting temperature of silicon nanowires increases as their diameter increases and reaches a saturation value close to the melting temperature of bulk silicon. The value of the Lindemann index for melting silicon nanowires is 0.037.     

Surface effects on the thermal conductivity of silicon nanowires

Thermal transport in silicon nanowires (SiNWs) has recently attracted considerable attention due to their potential applications in energy harvesting and generation and thermal management. The adjustment of the thermal conductivity of SiNWs through surface effects is a topic worthy of focus. In this paper, we briefly review the recent progress made in this field through theoretical calculations and experiments. We come to the conclusion that surface engineering methods are feasible and effective methods for adjusting nanoscale thermal transport and may foster further advancements in this field.     

考虑界面散射的金属纳米线热导率修正

理论分析了声子和电子输运对Cu, Ag金属纳米线热导率的贡献. 采用镶嵌原子作用势模型描述纳米尺寸下金属原子间的相互作用, 应用平衡分子动力学方法和Green-Kubo函数模拟了金属纳米线的声子热导率; 采用玻尔兹曼输运理论和Wiedemann-Franz定律计算电子热导率; 并通过散射失配模型和Mayadas-Shatzkes模型引入晶界散射的影响. 在此基础上, 考察分析了纳米线尺度和温度的影响. 研究结果表明: Cu, Ag纳米线热导率的变化规律相似; 电子输运对金属纳米线的导热占主导地位, 而声子热导率的贡献也不容忽视; 晶界散射导致热导率减小, 尤其对电子热导率作用显著; 纳米线总热导率随着温度的升高而降低; 随着截面尺寸减小而减小, 但声子热导率所占份额有所增加. 关键词： 纳米线 热导率 表面散射 晶界散射     

A molecular dynamics simulation: the effect of finite size on the thermal conductivity in a single crystal silicon

Non-equilibrium molecular dynamics (NEMD) simulations are performed to calculate thermal conductivity. The environment-dependent interatomic potential (EDIP) potential on crystal silicon is adopted as a model system. The issues are related to nonlinear response, local thermal equilibrium and statistical averaging. The simulation results by non-equilibrium molecular dynamics show that the calculated thermal conductivity decreases almost linearly as the film thickness reduced at the nanometre scale. The effect of size on the thermal conductivity is also obtained by a theoretic analysis of the kinetic theory and formulas of the heat capacity. The analysis reveals that the contributions of phonon mean free path (MFP) and phonon number in a finite cell to thermal conductivity are very important.     

温度、应变率和空位缺陷对氮化硼纳米管压缩性能的影响

采用分子动力学方法,分别模拟了完好的和含有缺陷的氮化硼纳米管的轴向压缩过程。原子间的相互作用采用Tersoff多体势函数来描述。结果表明,同尺寸的锯齿型氮化硼纳米管的临界轴向压缩强度高于扶手型氮化硼纳米管,这与碳纳米管的研究结果一致。发现纳米管的压缩强度,如临界轴向内力在低温下受温度影响明显,并且和应变率的大小有关。然而,应变率对纳米管的弹性变形没有影响。另外,还发现空位缺陷降低了纳米管的力学性能。与完好的纳米管相比,含有缺陷的纳米管轴向压缩强度对于温度的影响并不敏感。     

氮掺杂和空位对石墨烯纳米带热导率影响的分子动力学模拟

石墨烯是近年纳米材料研究领域的一个热点,其独特的热学性质受到了广泛关注,为了实现对石墨烯传热特性的预期与可控,利用氮掺杂和空位缺陷对石墨烯进行改性.采用非平衡态分子动力学方法研究了扶手形石墨烯纳米带中氮掺杂浓度、位置及空位缺陷对热导率影响并从理论上分析了热导率变化原因.研究表明氮掺杂后石墨烯纳米带热导率急剧下降,氮浓度达到30%时,热导率下降了75.8%;氮掺杂位置从冷浴向热浴移动过程中,热导率先近似的呈线性下降后上升;同时发现单原子三角形氮掺杂结构比多原子平行氮掺杂结构对热传递抑制作用强;空位缺陷的存在降低了石墨烯纳米带热导率,空位缺陷位置从冷浴向热浴移动过程中,热导率先下降后上升,空位缺陷距离冷浴边缘长度相对于整个石墨烯纳米带长度的3/10时,热导率达到最小.石墨烯纳米带热导率降低的原因主要源于结构中声子平均自由程和声子移动速度随着氮掺杂浓度、位置及空位缺陷位置的改变发生了明显变化.这些结果有利于纳米尺度下对石墨烯传热过程进行调控及为新材料的合成应用提供了理论支持.     

Randomization-and-relaxation model revisited

Abstract

The interatomic potentials of Stillinger-Weber and Tersoff were incorporated into the randomization-and-relaxation model, which was originally developed for modelling amorphous silicon by using the Keating interatomic potential. The inclusion of more recent and more complicated interatomic potentials resulted in a more sophisticated set of bond switching rules which form the basis for the randomization-and-relaxation algorithm. This improved model was then used to model small isolated amorphous zones which are produced by individual heavy ions during ion implantation in silicon. The temperature evolution during zone creation was calculated by using idealized thermal spike model. The structure and stability of these amorphous zones was examined with respect to the energy of incoming ion and with respect to the interatomic potential employed. It was established that significantly lower spike energy is required to create a stable amorphous region than in the simulation where the Keating potential was employed.     

硅熔化特性的分子动力学模拟–-不同势函数的对比研究

分别采用Stillinger-Weber (SW)势、修正的成熟原子嵌入模型(MEAM)势、 Tersoff势和HOEP (highly optimized empirical potential)势来描述硅原子间相互作用, 运用分子动力学方法对比模拟研究了四种势函数的硅晶体的体熔化和表面熔化特性. 结果表明: 四种势函数均能反映出硅的热膨胀、高温熔化和熔化时吸热收缩等基本物理规律. 但综合对比发现, Tersoff势和MEAM势相对更适合描述硅的熔化和凝固过程, SW势次之, HOEP势则不适合描述硅的熔化和凝固过程. 关键词： 硅 势函数 熔化 分子动力学     

Sulfide-assisted growth of silicon nano-wires by thermal evaporation of sulfur powders

Silicon nanowires (SiNWs) with a diameter of 20 nm were synthesized by the thermal evaporation of sulfur powders on silicon wafers. The source of the SiNWs came from the silicon substrates. It is considered that the generated SiS compound assisted the formation of SiNWs. Finally, the Raman shift of SiNWs was discussed.     

Theoretical and experimental investigation on enhanced thermal behaviour in chunk-shaped nano ZnO

Thermal properties of chunk-shaped ZnO nanostructures are studied for diffusivity, conductivity, and effusivity by photoacoustics (PA) and simulation methods. Thermal conductivity of nano ZnO was determined from simulation in the temperature range of 100–1000 K. Thermal conductivity of ZnO nanostructures at room temperature is approximately 52 and 128 times lower than that of bulk ZnO for PA and simulation, respectively. For simulation, Tersoff potential is used for the interatomic interaction. The velocity autocorrelation function and Green–Kubo relation are used to compute the thermal conductivity.     

Au5Si2/Si Heterojunction Nanowires Formed by Combining SiO Evaporation with Vapour--Liquid--Solid Mechanism

Crystalline AusSi2/Si heterojunetion nanowires （AusSi2/SiNWs） are obtained by thermal evaporating SiO pow- ders on thick gold-coated silicon substrates in a low vacuum system. Structure analysis of the produced AusSh/Si heterojunetions is performed by employing a transmission electron microscope （TEM） and a selected area electric diffraetometer. The chemical compositions axe studied by a energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscope attached to the TEM. A two-step growth model is proposed to describe the formation of the AusSi2/SiNWs. During the first step, crystalline SiNWs are formed via a growth mechanism combining the oxide-assisted growth process with the vapour-liquid-solid model at relatively high temperature. In the second step, the temperature decreases and one segment of the preformed SiNWs reacts with the remnant Au to form single crystalline AusSi2 nanowires by a solid-liquid-solid process. The present work should be useful for the future synthesis and research of high-quality gold silicide nanowires and microelectronic devices based on the nanowires.     

A molecular dynamics study of the mechanical properties of h-BCN monolayer using a modified Tersoff interatomic potential

Using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, we investigate the mechanical properties of hexagonal BCN monolayer, a newly synthesized two-dimensional material with an atom ratio of B/C/N = 1:1:1. The Tersoff potential is modified to get good agreement between predicted and measured fracture strengths of graphene. With this modified Tersoff potential, we perform extensive MD simulations to study the effect of temperature, strain rate and vacancy defect on the mechanical properties of h-BCN. It is found that h-BCN is a strong material with fracture strength of 81.4–93.5 GPa, albeit ∼35% lower than that of graphene. Similar to graphene, temperature has strong effect on the mechanical properties of h-BCN. As the temperature increases from 10 K to 1300 K, the fracture strength and strain of h-BCN drops by 55% and 62%, respectively. The strain rate is found to have a moderate effect. When the strain rate increases from 0.00002 to 0.0125 ps⁻¹, the fracture strength and strain of h-BCN increases 6.1% and 12%, respectively. As for the atomic defect, a very small concentration (0.028%) of vacancy in h-BCN is able to cause a 28% reduction in fracture strength and a 35.5% reduction in fracture strain. These findings have significance for its future applications in nanodevices.     

Carrier density distribution in silicon nanowires investigated by scanning thermal microscopy and Kelvin probe force microscopy

The use of scanning thermal microscopy (SThM) and Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM) to investigate silicon nanowires (SiNWs) is presented. SThM allows imaging of temperature distribution at the nanoscale, while KPFM images the potential distribution with AFM-related ultra-high spatial resolution. Both techniques are therefore suitable for imaging the resistance distribution. We show results of experimental examination of dual channel n-type SiNWs with channel width of 100 nm, while the channel was open and current was flowing through the SiNW. To investigate the carrier distribution in the SiNWs we performed SThM and KPFM scans. The SThM results showed non-symmetrical temperature distribution along the SiNWs with temperature maximum shifted towards the contact of higher potential. These results corresponded to those expressed by the distribution of potential gradient along the SiNWs, obtained using the KPFM method. Consequently, non-uniform distribution of resistance was shown, being a result of non-uniform carrier density distribution in the structure and showing the pinch-off effect. Last but not least, the results were also compared with results of finite-element method modeling.