Heat management is one of the biggest problems facing manufacturers today. In computers, microprocessors and electronics in general, heat flow management is especially important to keep components operating at optimum temperatures. A team of researchers from the Purdue University is currently proposing a new type of heat flow management technology that can help keep electronic devices cool.
If the technology proves feasible, manufacturers will be able to manage heat flow in a similar manner to how current electronic circuits manage the flow of electricity. This new type of heat flow mechanism may have unlimited potential in various applications such as the manufacturing of textiles and the production of electronic devices.
The proposed method makes use of small triangular structures that can be used to manage the flow of what researchers call "phonons." Phonons are essentially quantum mechanical phenomena that illustrate how vibrations travel from atom to atom. Since heat is basically the rate at which atoms in an object are vibrating, phonon behavior can be used to determine heat flow in a system.
The Purdue University researchers found that minute T-shaped structures can demonstrate a process known as "thermal rectification." This process allows heat to flow more efficiently in one direction. Since heat conductors are almost always bi-directional, meaning heat can flow just as easily in both directions, a structure that exhibits thermal rectification properties is similar to a one-way street. Unlike a one-way street however, a smaller amount of heat can still flow in the opposite direction but the effect is reduced considerably.
"In most systems, heat flow is equal in both directions, so there are no thermal devices like electrical diodes. However, if we are able to control heat flow like we control electricity using diodes then we can enable a lot of new and exciting thermal devices including thermal switches, thermal transistors, logic gates and memory," says Purdue University associate professor Xiulin Ruan.
The data gathered by the research team was published in the online journal Nano Letters. To conduct simulations on the proposed mechanism, the team made use of molecular dynamics to determine whether triangular structures called "asymmetric grapheme nanoribbons" could exhibit thermal rectification properties.
Researchers are already considering the possible applications for the technology. Aside from applications in electronics manufacturing, the team is also considering applications in textiles and home insulation.
"For example, on a winter night you don't want a building to lose heat quickly to the outside, while during the day you want the building to be warmed up by the sun, so it would be good to have building materials that permit the flow of heat in one direction, but not the other," said Ruan.
Given the heat management is a very important facet of maintaining current standards of living, a feasible process of heat flow management using the proposed methodologies included in the recent study may very well see widespread use in the near future.
