Heat Transfer Characteristics in an Asymmetrical Solid-Liquid System by Molecular Dynamics Simulations

Y Feng and XG Liang, INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF THERMOPHYSICS, 36, 1519-1529 (2015).

DOI: 10.1007/s10765-015-1897-0

Solid-liquid systems widely exist in micro- and nanodevices, and it is necessary to study the heat transfer mechanism through solid-liquid interfaces. An asymmetrical sandwich structure of a solid-liquid system consisting of liquid argon and artificial solid walls that have the same FCC structure with argon but a different atomic masses is composed. Heat transfer characteristics are investigated by the molecular dynamics method. The interaction strength between a liquid and solid plays an essential role in heat transport at solid-liquid interfaces, and the thermal resistance length is inversely proportional to it. The mass arrangement of artificial solid walls also has a significant effect on heat transport as well. A maximum heat flux comes up due to the mismatch in phonon spectra with the increasing atomic mass of one solid wall. The asymmetrical liquid density profiles are obtained with various mass differences between solid walls. Especially, a thermal rectification effect is observed and the magnitude is inextricably bound up with asymmetry.

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