| Abstract Scope |
Thermal transport plays an important role in a number of technologies, such as thermoelectrics, solar-thermal energy utilization, thermal barrier coatings, and so on. In the past few years, our work has focused on nanostructured materials of both the crystalline and disordered forms. In this talk, I will present our work on this front. First, we have been working on the continuous development of the instrumentation platform that enables us to precisely measure thermal conductivity and other related thermophysical properties of nanostructures, in particular in the form of nanowires and thin films. We then studied a number of nanostructures, including crystalline and amorphous Si nanowires, nanotubes, and thin films. We also studied thermal transport mediated by surface phonon polariton in amorphous SiO2, which is a polar dielectric material that supports SPhP. Finally, I will present our recent work on thermal transport behaviors in materials pertaining to solar-thermal applications. |