Thermal transport in 3D pillared SWCNT-graphene nanostructures

J Park and V Prakash, JOURNAL OF MATERIALS RESEARCH, 28, 940-951 (2013).

DOI: 10.1557/jmr.2012.395

We present results of a molecular dynamics study using adaptive intermolecular reactive empirical bond order interatomic potential to analyze thermal transport in three-dimensional pillared single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT)-graphene superstructures comprised of unit cells with graphene floors and SWCNT pillars. The results indicate that in- plane as well as out-of-plane thermal conductivity in these superstructures can be tuned by varying the interpillar distance and/or the pillar height. The simulations also provide information on thermal interfacial resistance at the graphene-SWCNT junctions in both the in- plane and out-of-plane directions. Among the super-structures analyzed, the highest effective (based on the unit cell cross-sectional area) in- plane thermal conductivity was 40 W/(m K) with an out-of-plane thermal conductivity of 1.0 W/(m K) for unit cells with an interpillar distance D-x = 3.3 nm and pillar height D-z = 1.2 nm, while the highest out-of- plane thermal conductivity was 6.8 W/(m K) with an in-plane thermal conductivity of 6.4 W/(m K) with D-x = 2.1 nm and D-z = 4.2 nm.

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