Woochul Kim

Atomic substitution in alloys can efficiently scatter phonons, thereby reducing the thermal conductivity in crystalline solids to the "alloy limit." Using In0.53Ga0.47As containing ErAs nanoparticles, we demonstrate thermal conductivity reduction by almost a factor of 2 below the alloy limit and a corresponding increase in the thermoelectric figure of merit by a factor of 2. A theoretical model suggests that while point defects in alloys efficiently scatter short-wavelength phonons, the ErAs nan

We discuss representative strategies of phonon engineering by categorizing them into the methods affecting each component of thermal conductivity.

An approximate analytical solution is proposed to estimate the phonon scattering cross section of polydispersed spherical nanoparticles. Using perturbation of the Hamiltonian due to differences in mass and bond stiffness between a host medium and a spherical nanoparticle, an analytical solution is obtained for the scattering cross section in the Rayleigh limit when the size parameter approaches zero. In the geometrical scattering limit, when the size parameter approaches infinity, the van de Hul

Magnetite (Fe3O4) is believed to be half metal, providing 100% spin-polarized conduction electrons. The half-metallic nature of magnetic electrodes for tunneling junction devices is expected to induce a large magnetoresistance. We investigated the structural and chemical properties of interfaces in ferromagnet–insulator–ferromagnet (Fe3O4/MgO/Fe) tunnel junctions. Al/Ag/Fe3O4/MgO multilayers for magnetic tunnel junction have been fabricated on α-Al2O3 (001) and MgO (100) substrates by a molecula

We studied the cross-plane lattice and electronic thermal conductivities of superlattices made of InGaAlAs and InGaAs films, with the latter containing embedded ErAs nanoparticles (denoted as ErAs:InGaAs). Measurements of total thermal conductivity at four doping levels and a theoretical analysis were used to estimate the cross-plane electronic thermal conductivity of the superlattices. The results show that the lattice and electronic thermal conductivities have marginal dependence on doping lev

Thermal conductivity of a crystalline solid at high temperature is dominated by the Umklapp process because the number of high frequency phonons increases with temperature. It is challenging to reduce the thermal conductivity of crystalline solids at high temperature although it is widely known that, by increasing the atomic defect concentration, thermal conductivity of crystalline solids can be reduced at low temperature. By increasing the concentration of ErAs nanoparticles in In 0.53Ga 0.47As

In thermoelectric energy conversions, thermal conductivity reduction is essential for enhancing thermoelectric performance while maintaining a high power factor. Herein, we propose an approach based on coated-grain structures to effectively reduce the thermal conductivity to a much greater degree when compared to that done by conventional nanodot nanocomposite. By incorporating CdTe coated layers on the surface of SnTe grains, the thermal conductivity is as low as 1.16 W/m-K at 929 K, resulting

Abstract With the increasing demand for Internet of Things (IoT) with integrated wireless sensor networks (WSNs), sustainable power supply and management have become important issues to be addressed. Thermal energy in forms of waste heat or metabolic heat is a promising source for reliably supplying power to electronic devices; for instance, thermoelectric power generators are widely being researched as they are able to convert thermal energy into electricity. This paper specifically looks over

In this review, we summarize the recent efforts on manipulating phonon transport in solids by using specific techniques that modify their phonon thermal conductivity (<i>i.e.</i>, specific heat, phonon group velocity, and mean free path) and phonon thermal conductance (<i>i.e.</i>, transmission probability and density of states). The strategies discussed for tuning thermal conductivity are as follows: large unit cell approach and liquid-like conduction for maneuvering specific heat; rattler, min