Nonlinear thermal transport and negative differential thermal conductance in graphene nanoribbons

JN Hu and Y Wang and A Vallabhaneni and XL Ruan and YP Chen, APPLIED PHYSICS LETTERS, 99, 113101 (2011).

DOI: 10.1063/1.3630026

We employ classical molecular dynamics to study the nonlinear thermal transport in graphene nanoribbons (GNRs). For GNRs under large temperature biases beyond linear response regime, we have observed the onset of negative differential thermal conductance (NDTC). NDTC is tunable by varying the manner of applying the temperature biases. NDTC is reduced and eventually disappears when the length of the GNR increases. We have also observed NDTC in triangular GNRs, where NDTC exists only when the heat current is from the narrower to the wider end. These effects may be useful in nanoscale thermal managements and thermal signal processing utilizing GNRs. (C) 2011 American Institute of Physics. doi:10.1063/1.3630026

Return to Publications page