Phonon relaxation and heat conduction in one-dimensional Fermi-Pasta-Ulam β lattices by molecular dynamics simulations

The phonon relaxation and heat conduction in one-dimensional Fermi-Pasta-Ulam (FPU) β lattices are studied by using molecular dynamics simulations.The phonon relaxation rate,which dominates the length dependence of the FPU β lattice,is first calculated from the energy autocorrelation function for different modes at various temperatures through equilibrium molecular dynamics simulations.We find that the relaxation rate as a function of wave number k is proportional to k 1.688,which leads to a N 0.41 divergence of the thermal conductivity in the framework of Green-Kubo relation.This is also in good agreement with the data obtained by non-equilibrium molecular dynamics simulations which estimate the length dependence exponent of the thermal conductivity as 0.415.Our results confirm the N 2/5 divergence in one-dimensional FPU β lattices.The effects of the heat flux on the thermal conductivity are also studied by imposing different temperature differences on the two ends of the lattices.We find that the thermal conductivity is insensitive to the heat flux under our simulation conditions.It implies that the linear response theory is applicable towards the heat conduction in one-dimensional FPU β lattices.     

Approach to Phonon Relaxation Time and Mean Free Path in Nonlinear Lattices

Based on the self-consistent phonon theory,the spectral energy density is calculated by the canonical transformation and the Fourier transformation.Through fitting the spectral energy density by the Lorentzian profile,the phonon frequency as well as the phonon relaxation time is obtained in one-dimensional nonlinear lattices,which is validated in the Fermi-Pasta-Ulam-β(FPU-β) and φ~4 lattices at different temperatures.The phonon mean free path is then evaluated in terms of the phonon relaxation time and phonon group velocity.The results show that,in the FPU-β lattice,the phonon mean free path as well as the phonon relaxation time displays divergent power-law behavior.The divergent exponent coincides well with that derived from the Peierls-Boltzmann theory at weak anharmonic nonlinearity.The value of the divergent exponent expects a power-law divergent heat conductivity with system size,which violates Fourier's law.For the φ~4 lattice,both the phonon relaxation time and mean free path are finite,which ensures normal heat conduction.     

Tuning Thermal Conductivity in Si Nanowires with Patterned Structures

Tuning the thermal conductivity of silicon nanowires(Si-NWs)is essential for realization of future thermoelectric devices.The corresponding management of thermal transport is strongly related to the scattering of phonons,which are the primary heat carriers in Si-NWs.Using the molecular dynamics method,we find that the scattering of phonons from internal body defects is stronger than that from surface structures in the low-porosity range.Based on our simulations,we propose the concept of an exponential decay in thermal conductivity with porosity,specifically in the low-porosity range.In contrast,the thermal conductivity of Si-NWs with a higher porosity approaches the amorphous limit,and is insensitive to specific phonon scattering processes.Our findings contribute to a better understanding of the tuning of thermal conductivity in Si-NWs by means of patterned nanostructures,and may provide valuable insights into the optimal design of one-dimensional thermoelectric materials.     

Alkyl group functionalization-induced phonon thermal conductivity attenuation in graphene nanoribbons

We calculated the room-temperature phonon thermal conductivity and phonon spectrum of alkyl group-functionalized zigzag graphene nanoribbons(ZGNRs) with molecular dynamics simulations. The increase in both chain length and concentration of alkyl groups caused remarkable reduction of phonon thermal conductivity in functionalized ZGNRs. Phonon spectra analysis showed that functionalization of ZGNR with alkyl functional groups induced phonon–structural defect scattering, thus leading to the reduction of phonon thermal conductivity of ZGNR. Our study showed that surface functionalization is an effective routine to tune the phonon thermal conductivity of GNRs, which is useful in graphene thermal-related applications.     

Reversal of thermal rectification in one-dimensional nonlinear composite system

Using nonequilibrium molecular dynamics simulations, a comprehensive study of the asymmetric heat conduction in the composite system consisting of the Frenkel-Kontorova （FK） model and Fermi-Pasta-Ulam （FPU） model is conducted. The calculated results show that in a larger system, the rectifying direction can be reversed only by adjusting the thermal bias. Moreover, the rectification reversal depends critically on the system size and the properties of the interface. The mechanisms of the two types of asymmetric heat conduction induced by nonlinearity are discussed. Considering the novel asymmetric heat conduction in the system, it may possess possible applications to manage the thermal rectification in situ directionally without re-building the structure.     

Study of lattice thermal conductivity of alpha-zirconium by molecular dynamics simulation

The non-equilibrium molecular dynamics method is adapted to calculate the phonon thermal conductivity of alphazirconium. By exchanging velocities of atoms in different regions, the stable heat flux and the temperature gradient are established to calculate the thermal conductivity. The phonon thermal conductivities under different conditions, such as different heat exchange frequencies, different temperatures, different crystallographic orientations, and crossing grain boundary (GB), are studied in detail with considering the finite size effect. It turns out that the phonon thermal conductivity decreases with the increase of temperature, and displays anisotropies along different crystallographic orientations. The phonon thermal conductivity in [0001] direction (close-packed plane) is largest, while the values in other two directions of [2īī0] and [01ī0] are relatively close. In the region near GB, there is a sharp temperature drop, and the phonon thermal conductivity is about one-tenth of that of the single crystal at 550 K, suggesting that the GB may act as a thermal barrier in the crystal.     

Thermal conductivity of carbon nanoring linked graphene sheets:A molecular dynamics investigation

Improving the thermal conduction across graphene sheets is of great importance for their applications in thermal management. In this paper, thermal transport across a hybrid structure formed by two graphene nanoribbons and carbon nanorings(CNRs) was investigated by molecular dynamics simulations. The effects of linker diameter, number, and height on thermal conductivity of the CNRs–graphene hybrid structures were studied respectively, and the CNRs were found effective in transmitting the phonon modes of GNRs. The hybrid structure with 2 linkers showed the highest thermal conductivity of 68.8 W·m~(-1)·K~(-1). Our work presents important insight into fundamental principles governing the thermal conduction across CNR junctions and provides useful guideline for designing CNR–graphene structure with superior thermal conductivity.     

Size Dependent Heat Conduction in One-Dimensional Diatomic Lattices

We study the size dependency of heat conduction in one-dimensional diatomic FPU-β lattices and establish that for low dimensional material,contribution from optical phonons is found more effective to the thermal conductivity and enhance heat transport in the thermodynamic limit N →∞.For the finite size,thermal conductivity of 1D diatomic lattice is found to be lower than 1D monoatomic chain of the same size made up of the constituent particle of the diatomic chain.For the present 1D diatomic chain,obtained value of power divergent exponent of thermal conductivity0.428±0.001 and diffusion exponent 1.2723 lead to the conclusions that increase in the system size,increases the thermal conductivity and existence of anomalous energy diffusion.Existing numerical data supports our findings.     

How Does van der Waals Confinement Enhance Phonon Transport?

We study the mechanism of van der Waals(vdW)interactions on phonon transport in atomic scale,which would boost developments in heat management and energy conversion.Commonly,the vdW interactions are regarded as a hindrance in phonon transport.Here we propose that the vdW confinement can enhance phonon transport.Through molecular dynamics simulations,it is realized that the vdW confinement is able to make more than two-fold enhancement on thermal conductivity of both polyethylene single chain and graphene nanoribbon.The quantitative analyses of morphology,local vdW potential energy and dynamical properties are carried out to reveal the underlying physical mechanism.It is found that the confined vdW potential barriers reduce the atomic thermal displacement magnitudes,leading to less phonon scattering and facilitating thermal transport.Our study offers a new strategy to modulate the phonon transport.     

The influence of structural features on the thermal conductivity of polycrystalline zinc sulfide

The thermal conductivity of single-crystal zinc sulfide and optically transparent zinc sulfide polycrystals differing in crystal grain size and density is experimentally investigated in the temperature range 80–400 K. It is shown that the thermal conductivity of polycrystalline samples substantially depends on the crystal grain size and the defect concentration in the grain-boundary layers. In zinc sulfide samples with a grain size of 1 μm, excess thermal resistance due to phonon scattering by grain boundaries is observed at temperatures T<130 K. It is demonstrated that, at higher temperatures (T>210 K), the heat transfer is associated not only with transverse phonon modes but also with longitudinal phonon modes and the role of the latter modes increases with an increase in temperature. __________ Translated from Fizika Tverdogo Tela, Vol. 44, No. 2, 2002, pp. 251–256. Original Russian Text Copyright ? 2002 by Lugueva, Luguev.     

Studies of thermal conductivity in Fermi-Pasta-Ulam-like lattices

The pioneering computer simulations of the energy relaxation mechanisms performed by Fermi, Pasta, and Ulam (FPU) can be considered as the first attempt of understanding energy relaxation and thus heat conduction in lattices of nonlinear oscillators. In this paper we describe the most recent achievements about the divergence of heat conductivity with the system size in one-dimensional (1D) and two-dimensional FPU-like lattices. The anomalous behavior is particularly evident at low energies, where it is enhanced by the quasiharmonic character of the lattice dynamics. Remarkably, anomalies persist also in the strongly chaotic region where long-time tails develop in the current autocorrelation function. A modal analysis of the 1D case is also presented in order to gain further insight about the role played by boundary conditions.     

Current progress on heat conduction in one-dimensional gas channels

We give a brief review of the past development of model studies on one-dimensional heat conduction. Particularly, we describe recent achievements on the study of heat conduction in one-dimensional gas models including the hard-point gas model and billiard gas channel. For a one-dimensional gas of elastically colliding particles of unequal masses, heat conduction is anomalous due to momentum conservation, and the divergence exponent of heat conductivity is estimated as α≈0.33 in k ∼ L ^α . Moreover, in billiard gas models, it is found that exponent instability is not necessary for normal heat conduction. The connection between heat conductivity and diffusion is investigated. Some new progress is reported. A recently proposed model with a quantized degree of freedom to study the heat transport in quasi-one dimensional systems is illustrated in which three distinct temperature regimes of heat conductivity are manifested. The establishment of local thermal equilibrium (LTE) in homogeneous and heterogeneous systems is also discussed. Finally, we give a summary with an outlook for further study about the problem of heat conduction.     

Study of thermal conductivity and thermal rectification in exponential mass graded lattices

Concept of exponential mass variation of oscillators along the chain length of N oscillators is proposed in the present Letter. The temperature profile and thermal conductivity of one-dimensional (1D) exponential mass graded harmonic and anharmonic lattices are studied on the basis of Fermi-Pasta-Ulam (FPU) β model. Present findings conclude that the exponential mass graded chain provide higher conductivity than that of linear mass graded chain. The exponential mass graded anharmonic chain generates the thermal rectification of 70-75% which is better than linear mass graded materials, so far. Thus instead of using linear mass graded material, the use of exponential mass graded material will be a better and genuine choice for controlling the heat flow at nano-scale.     

Thermal conductivity of fluids with steeply repulsive potentials

We consider the thermal conductivity of steeply repulsive inverse power fluids (SRP) in which the particles interact with a pair potential, φ(r) = ε(σ/r)ⁿ. The time correlation function for the heat flux, C_λ(t), and the time average, C_λ(0) are calculated numerically by molecular dynamics simulations, and accurate expressions for these are also derived for the SRP fluid. We show, by molecular dynamics simulations, that close to the hard-sphere limit this time correlation function has the same analytic form as for the shear and pressure correlation functions for the shear and bulk viscosity, i.e. C_λ(t)/C_λ(0) = 1 ?T* (nt*)² + 0((nt*)⁴), where T* = k _B T/ε, is the reduced temperature, k _B is Boltzmann's constant and t* = (ε/σ²)^1/2 t is the reduced time. The thermal conductivity for the limiting case of hard spheres is numerically very close to that given by the traditional Enskog relation. At low densities the normalized relaxation times are typically largest for the thermal conductivity, followed by shear and then bulk viscosity. Close to the maximum fluid density, the latter two increase rapidly with density (especially for the shear) but continue a monotonic decline for the thermal conductivity. This reflects the relative insensitivity of the thermal conductivity to the approach to the fluid-solid phase boundary.     

石墨烯的声子热学性质研究

声子是石墨烯导热过程中的主要载体,而声子的弛豫时间又是其中最基本、最重要的物理量.本文采用简正模式分解法研究了石墨烯声子的弛豫时间,并且借此分析了不同声子在导热过程中的贡献.该方法通过平衡分子动力学模拟实现,首先通过模拟得到单个声子的能量自相关函数衰减曲线,并进一步采用拟合和积分两种方法得到单个声子的弛豫时间.然后,研究了弛豫时间与波矢、频率和温度的关系.结果发现,弛豫时间随波矢的变化与对应的色散关系相近,弛豫时间与频率和温度的关系符合理论模型:1/τ=νnTm,其中声学支的n为1.56,而光学支结果较为发散,指数m对于不同声子支结果略有不同.最后,还研究了不同频率声子对导热的贡献,发现低频声子在态密度上占有绝对优势,并且其弛豫时间整体高于高频声子,所以低频声子对导热的贡献占据主导地位.     

Energy Transport in Weakly Anharmonic Chains

We investigate the energy transport in a one-dimensional lattice of oscillators with a harmonic nearest neighbor coupling and a harmonic plus quartic on-site potential. As numerically observed for particular coupling parameters before, and confirmed by our study, such chains satisfy Fourier’s law: a chain of length N coupled to thermal reservoirs at both ends has an average steady state energy current proportional to 1/N. On the theoretical level we employ the Peierls transport equation for phonons and note that beyond a mere exchange of labels it admits nondegenerate phonon collisions. These collisions are responsible for a finite heat conductivity. The predictions of kinetic theory are compared with molecular dynamics simulations. In the range of weak anharmonicity, respectively low temperatures, reasonable agreement is observed.     

Equilibration and universal heat conduction in fermi-pasta-ulam chains

It is shown numerically that for Fermi-Pasta-Ulam (FPU) chains with alternating masses and heat baths at slightly different temperatures at the ends, the local temperature (LT) on small scales behaves paradoxically in steady state. This expands the long established problem of equilibration of FPU chains. A well-behaved LT appears to be achieved for equal mass chains; the thermal conductivity is shown to diverge with chain length N as N(1/3), relevant for the much debated question of the universality of one-dimensional heat conduction. The reason why earlier simulations have obtained systematically higher exponents is explained.     

热质的运动与传递-微尺度导热中的热质动能效应

基于热质(热量的当量动质量)的概念,通过建立和分析热质的运动方程得到了反映热质动能变化的稳态导热微分方程,表明Fourier导热定律只有在热质的动能变化相对热质势能变化很小而可以忽略时才成立;在高热流密度和低温的情况下热质的动能变化不可忽略,这种动能效应表现为热流密度和温度梯度不再成线性关系.动能效应也导致Fourier导热定律不能通过热流和温度梯度准确地获得物体的导热系数,本文基于热质运动方程给出了导热系数动能效应的修正式.最后针对高热流密度和低温一维稳态导热进行了分子动力学模拟验证.     

Effects of fullerene coalescence on the thermal conductivity of carbon nanopeapods

The heat conduction and its dependence on fullerene coalescence in carbon nanopeapods (CNPs) have been investigated by equilibrium molecular dynamics simulations. The effects of fullerene coalescence on the thermal conductivity of CNPs were discussed under different temperatures. It is shown that the thermal conductivity of the CNPs decreases with the coalescence of encapsulated fullerene molecules. The thermal transmission mechanism of the effect of fullerene coalescence was analysed by the mass transfer contribution, the relative contributions of phonon oscillation frequencies to total heat current and the phonon vibrational density of states (VDOS). The mass transfer in CNPs is mainly attributed to the motion of encapsulated fullerene molecule and it gets more restricted with the coalescence of the fullerene. It shows that the low-frequency phonon modes below 20 THz contribute mostly to thermal conductivity in CNPs. The analysis of VDOS demonstrates that the dominating contribution to heat transfer is from the inner fullerene chain. With the coalescence of fullerene, the interfacial heat transfer between the CNT and fullerene chain is strengthened; however, the heat conduction of the fullerene chain decreases more rapidly at the same time.     

Decomposition model for phonon thermal conductivity of a monatomic lattice

An analytical treatment of decomposition of the phonon thermal conductivity of a crystal with a monatomic unit cell is developed on the basis of a two-stage decay of the heat current autocorrelation function observed in molecular dynamics simulations. It is demonstrated that the contributions from the acoustic short- and long-range phonon modes to the total phonon thermal conductivity can be presented in the form of simple kinetic formulas, consisting of products of the heat capacity and the average relaxation time of the considered phonon modes as well as the square of the average phonon velocity. On the basis of molecular dynamics calculations of the heat current autocorrelation function, this treatment allows for a self-consistent numerical evaluation of the aforementioned variables. In addition, the presented analysis allows, within the Debye approximation, for the identification of the temperature range where classical molecular dynamics simulations can be employed for the prediction of phonon thermal transport properties. As a case example, Cu is considered.