Issue 37, 2017

Negative Gaussian curvature induces significant suppression of thermal conduction in carbon crystals

Abstract

From the mathematic category of surface Gaussian curvature, carbon allotropes can be classified into three types: zero curvature, positive curvature, and negative curvature. By performing Green–Kubo equilibrium molecular dynamics simulations, we found that surface curvature has a significant impact on the phonon vibration and thermal conductivity (κ) of carbon crystals. When curving from zero curvature to negative or positive curvature structures, κ is reduced by several orders of magnitude. Interestingly, we found that κ of negatively curved carbon crystals exhibits a monotonic dependence on curvature. Through phonon mode analysis, we show that curvature induces remarkable phonon softening in phonon dispersion, which results in the reduction of phonon group velocity and flattening of phonon band structure. Furthermore, the curvature was found to induce phonon mode hybridization, leading to the suppression of phonon relaxation time. Our study provides physical insight into thermal transport in curvature materials, and will be valuable in the modulation of phonon activity through surface curvature.

Graphical abstract: Negative Gaussian curvature induces significant suppression of thermal conduction in carbon crystals

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
08 Jul 2017
Accepted
05 Sep 2017
First published
05 Sep 2017

Nanoscale, 2017,9, 14208-14214

Negative Gaussian curvature induces significant suppression of thermal conduction in carbon crystals

Z. Zhang, J. Chen and B. Li, Nanoscale, 2017, 9, 14208 DOI: 10.1039/C7NR04944G

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements