Abstract
Significant thermal rectification has the potential to revolutionize approaches to controlled heat flow and enable breakthrough technologies such as phononic computing. We demonstrate a framework based on phonon population confinement and filtering that has potential to reach rectifications that are an order of magnitude larger than previous literature. With the use of a straightforward modification of the phonon gas model, we illustrate theoretical thermal rectification in a thin film of diamond (1–10 nm) graded to dimensions of between 25% and 250%. Utilizing this mechanism for thermal rectification sets the stage for significant development in thermal devices.
- Received 14 August 2019
- Accepted 30 January 2020
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.124.075903
Published by the American Physical Society