Research Overview
Nanotubes, nanowires, quantum dots, thin solid films and
other nanostructures transport heat much differently than
structures with macroscopic characteristic dimensions. As a
result, interest in assembling these nanostructures to build
new composite 'metamaterials' with extreme thermal
conductivities has increased dramatically in recent years in
application areas ranging from electronics thermal management
to thermoelectric alternative energy generation. We investigate the size dependence of thermal transport
properties in nanostructures, the fundamental phonon
transport mechanisms governing these properties, and the
emergent behavior arising from thermal coupling between
individual nanostructures.
Also of interest is the unusual fluid and
mass transport behavior observed at the
nanoscale. We investigate this behavior using
a combination of computer modeling and experimental
techniques, with a view toward developing new approaches for
nanofabrication.
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