We study thermal rectification in a three-dimensional model consisting of two segments of anharmonic lattices. One segment consists of layers of harmonic oscillator arrays coupled to a substrate potential, which is a three-dimensional Frenkel-Kontorova model, and the other segment is a three-dimensional Fermi-Pasta-Ulam model. We study the vibrational bands of the two lattices analytically and numerically, and find that, by choosing the system parameters properly, the rectification can be as high as a few thousands, which is high enough to be observed in experiment. Possible experiments in nanostructures are discussed.

• Received 20 January 2007

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.75.214302