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Energy Transport at the Micro/Nanoscale
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Energy Transport at the Micro/Nanoscale

A special issue of Nanomaterials (ISSN 2079-4991). This special issue belongs to the section "Energy and Catalysis".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (28 November 2022) | Viewed by 28775

Printed Edition Available!
A printed edition of this Special Issue is available here.

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Xinwei Wang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA
Interests: micro/nanoscale energy transport (probing, tailoring, and applications); advanced manufacturing; light–matter interaction; time domain, frequency domain, and energy transport state-resolved Raman; low-dimension materials; thermal conductivity measurement; interface energy resistance/conductance; shock waves; hot carrier transport

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In the last two decades, significant advances have been made on the understanding and control of energy transport at the micro/nanoscale inspired by the emergence of new low-dimension materials, unique properties of micro/nanoscale structured materials in energy-related applications, e.g., thermoelectric, photovoltaic, batteries, fuel cells, and solar energy applications, ultrafast laser–material interaction encountered in material characterization and advanced manufacturing, near-field radiation, and quantum state design and control. The extremely small size of materials could significantly alter their response to thermal impulse, its capability in transferring energy, photon exchange, and hot carrier diffusion/transport. Despite the great advances in these areas, significant problems still exist in experimental characterization of energy transport at the extremely small scale (micron down to sub-nm level), computer modeling of energy transport in extremely complicated structures, and control/tailoring of such energy transport. These are evidenced by controversial experimental and computational results, rarely characterized liquid–solid interface energy transport, and poor experimental understanding of micro/nanoscale point contact energy transport.

This Special Issue on “Energy Transport at the Micro/Nanoscale” covers recent findings, reviews (~5000 words), mini reviews (~3000 words), and perspectives (~1500 words) on energy transport in 0D, 1D, 2D, and 3D micro/nanoscale structures, e.g., point contact, interface, 2D materials, thermoelectric materials, and structured materials. Experimental characterization, computer modeling, material structure tailoring/control, and theoretical analysis will be covered.

Prof. Dr. Xinwei Wang
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Nanomaterials is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Energy transport characterization
  • Phonon transport
  • Hot carrier diffusion
  • Computer modeling
  • Low-dimension materials
  • Micro/nanoscale and structured materials
  • Interface energy transport
  • Energy transport design and control at the micro/nanoscale

Published Papers (12 papers)

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Editorial

Jump to: Research, Review

3 pages, 183 KiB  
Editorial
Perspectives on Energy Transport at the Micro/Nanoscale
by Xinwei Wang
Nanomaterials 2023, 13(11), 1746; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano13111746 - 26 May 2023
Viewed by 738
Abstract
Over the last two decades, with the fast development of micro/nanomaterials, including micro/nanoscale and micro/nanostructured materials, significant attention has been attracted to study the energy transport in them [...] Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Transport at the Micro/Nanoscale)

Research

Jump to: Editorial, Review

9 pages, 1703 KiB  
Article
Research on In Situ Thermophysical Properties Measurement during Heating Processes
by Chenfei Xu, Shen Xu, Zhi Zhang and Huan Lin
Nanomaterials 2023, 13(1), 119; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano13010119 - 26 Dec 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1001
Abstract
Biomass pyrolysis is an important way to produce biofuel. It is a chemical reaction process significantly involving heat, in which the heating rate will affect the yield and composition (or quality) of the generated biofuel. Therefore, the heat transfer inside the biomass pellets [...] Read more.
Biomass pyrolysis is an important way to produce biofuel. It is a chemical reaction process significantly involving heat, in which the heating rate will affect the yield and composition (or quality) of the generated biofuel. Therefore, the heat transfer inside the biomass pellets is important for determining the rate of temperature rise in the pellets. The accurate knowledge of the thermophysical properties of biomass pellets is required to clarify the process and mechanism of heat transfer in the particles and in the reactor. In this work, based on the transient thermoelectric technology, a continuous in situ thermal characterization method for a dynamic heating process is proposed. Multiple thermophysical properties, including thermal conductivity and volumetric heat capacity for corn leaves, are measured simultaneously within a heating process. In temperatures lower than 100 °C, the volumetric heat capacity slightly increases while the thermal conductivity decreases gradually due to the evaporation of water molecules. When the temperature is higher than 100 °C, the organic components in the corn leaves are cracked and carbonized, leading to the increase in the thermal conductivity and the decrease in the volumetric heat capacity against temperature. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Transport at the Micro/Nanoscale)
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11 pages, 3086 KiB  
Article
Temperature Dependence of Thermal Conductivity of Giant-Scale Supported Monolayer Graphene
by Jing Liu, Pei Li, Shen Xu, Yangsu Xie, Qin Wang and Lei Ma
Nanomaterials 2022, 12(16), 2799; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano12162799 - 15 Aug 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1488
Abstract
Past work has focused on the thermal properties of microscale/nanoscale suspended/supported graphene. However, for the thermal design of graphene-based devices, the thermal properties of giant-scale (~mm) graphene, which reflects the effect of grains, must also be investigated and are critical. In this work, [...] Read more.
Past work has focused on the thermal properties of microscale/nanoscale suspended/supported graphene. However, for the thermal design of graphene-based devices, the thermal properties of giant-scale (~mm) graphene, which reflects the effect of grains, must also be investigated and are critical. In this work, the thermal conductivity variation with temperature of giant-scale chemical vapor decomposition (CVD) graphene supported by poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) is characterized using the differential transient electrothermal technique (diff-TET). Compared to the commonly used optothermal Raman technique, diff-TET employs joule heating as the heating source, a situation under which the temperature difference between optical phonons and acoustic phonons is eased. The thermal conductivity of single-layer graphene (SLG) supported by PMMA was measured as 743 ± 167 W/(m·K) and 287 ± 63 W/(m·K) at 296 K and 125 K, respectively. As temperature decreased from 296 K to 275 K, the thermal conductivity of graphene was decreased by 36.5%, which can be partly explained by compressive strain buildup in graphene due to the thermal expansion mismatch. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Transport at the Micro/Nanoscale)
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14 pages, 3627 KiB  
Article
Microstructure and Superior Corrosion Resistance of an In-Situ Synthesized NiTi-Based Intermetallic Coating via Laser Melting Deposition
by Cheng Deng, Menglong Jiang, Di Wang, Yongqiang Yang, Vyacheslav Trofimov, Lianxi Hu and Changjun Han
Nanomaterials 2022, 12(4), 705; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano12040705 - 20 Feb 2022
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2211
Abstract
A nickel–titanium (NiTi)-based intermetallic coating was in-situ synthesized on a Ti–6Al–4V (TC4) substrate via laser melting deposition (LMD) using Ni–20Cr and TC4 powders. Scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, a digital microhardness tester and an electrochemical analyzer were used to evaluate the microstructure, Vicker’s [...] Read more.
A nickel–titanium (NiTi)-based intermetallic coating was in-situ synthesized on a Ti–6Al–4V (TC4) substrate via laser melting deposition (LMD) using Ni–20Cr and TC4 powders. Scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, a digital microhardness tester and an electrochemical analyzer were used to evaluate the microstructure, Vicker’s microhardness and electrochemical corrosion resistance of the intermetallic coating. Results indicate that the microstructure of the intermetallic coating is composed of NiTi2, NiTi and Ni3Ti. The measured microhardness achieved is as high as ~850 HV0.2, ~2.5 times larger than that of the TC4 alloy, which can be attributed to the solid solution strengthening of Al and Cr, dispersion strengthening of the intermetallic compounds, and grain refinement strengthening from the rapid cooling of LMD. During the electrochemical corrosion of 3.5% NaCl solution, a large amount of Ti ions were released from the intermetallic coating surface and reacted with Cl− ions to form [TiCl6]2 with an increase in corrosion voltage. In further hydrolysis reactions, TiO2 formation occurred when the ratio of [TiCl6]2− reached a critical value. The in-situ synthesized intermetallic coating can achieve a superior corrosion resistance compared to that of the TC4 alloy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Transport at the Micro/Nanoscale)
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23 pages, 5671 KiB  
Article
Electrochemical Behavior of Symmetric Electrical Double-Layer Capacitors and Pseudocapacitors and Identification of Transport Anomalies in the Interconnected Ionic and Electronic Phases Using the Impedance Technique
by Willian G. Nunes, Aline M. Pascon, Bruno Freitas, Lindomar G. De Sousa, Débora V. Franco, Hudson Zanin and Leonardo M. Da Silva
Nanomaterials 2022, 12(4), 676; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano12040676 - 18 Feb 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2255
Abstract
A double-channel transmission line impedance model was applied to the study of supercapacitors to investigate the charge transport characteristics in the ionic and electronic conductors forming the electrode/solution interface. The macro homogeneous description of two closely mixed phases (Paasch–Micka–Gersdorf model) was applied to [...] Read more.
A double-channel transmission line impedance model was applied to the study of supercapacitors to investigate the charge transport characteristics in the ionic and electronic conductors forming the electrode/solution interface. The macro homogeneous description of two closely mixed phases (Paasch–Micka–Gersdorf model) was applied to study the influence of disordered materials on the charge transport anomalies during the interfacial charge–discharge process. Different ex situ techniques were used to characterize the electrode materials used in electrical double-layer (EDLC) and pseudocapacitor (PC) devices. Two time constants in the impedance model were adequate to represent the charge transport in the different phases. The interfacial impedance considering frequency dispersion and blocked charge transfer conditions adequately described the charge storage at the interface. Deviations from the normal (Fickian) transport involving the ionic and electronic charge carriers were identified by the dispersive parameters (e.g., n and s exponents) used in the impedance model. The ionic and electronic transports were affected when the carbon-based electrical double-layer capacitor was converted into a composite with strong pseudocapacitive characteristics after the decoration process using NiO. The overall capacitance increased from 2.62 F g−1 to 536 F g−1 after the decoration. For the first time, the charge transport anomalies were unequivocally identified in porous materials used in supercapacitors with the impedance technique. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Transport at the Micro/Nanoscale)
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Graphical abstract

17 pages, 2714 KiB  
Article
Preparation and Bolometric Responses of MoS2 Nanoflowers and Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotube Composite Network
by Qin Wang, Yu Wu, Xin Deng, Liping Xiang, Ke Xu, Yongliang Li and Yangsu Xie
Nanomaterials 2022, 12(3), 495; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano12030495 - 31 Jan 2022
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 2912
Abstract
Due to their broadband optical absorption ability and fast response times, carbon nanotube (CNT)-based materials are considered promising alternatives to the toxic compounds used in commercial infrared sensors. However, the direct use of pure CNT networks as infrared sensors for simple resistance read-outs [...] Read more.
Due to their broadband optical absorption ability and fast response times, carbon nanotube (CNT)-based materials are considered promising alternatives to the toxic compounds used in commercial infrared sensors. However, the direct use of pure CNT networks as infrared sensors for simple resistance read-outs results in low sensitivity values. In this work, MoS2 nanoflowers are composited with CNT networks via a facile hydrothermal process to increase the bolometric performance. The thermal diffusivity (α) against temperature (T) is measured using the transient electro-thermal (TET) technique in the range of 320 K to 296 K. The α-T curve demonstrates that the composite containing MoS2 nanoflowers provides significant phonon scattering and affects the intertube interfaces, decreasing the α value by 51%. As the temperature increases from 296 K to 320 K, the relative temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) increases from 0.04%/K to 0.25%/K. Combined with the enhanced light absorption and strong anisotropic structure, this CNT–MoS2 composite network exhibits a more than 5-fold greater surface temperature increase under the same laser irradiation. It shows up to 18-fold enhancements in resistive responsivity ((Ron − Roff)/Roff) compared with the pure CNT network for a 1550 nm laser at room temperature (RT). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Transport at the Micro/Nanoscale)
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Graphical abstract

15 pages, 2926 KiB  
Article
Effects of Current Annealing on Thermal Conductivity of Carbon Nanotubes
by Huan Lin, Jinbo Xu, Fuhua Shen, Lijun Zhang, Shen Xu, Hua Dong and Siyi Luo
Nanomaterials 2022, 12(1), 83; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano12010083 - 29 Dec 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1717
Abstract
This work documents the annealing effect on the thermal conductivity of nanotube film (CNTB) and carbon nanotube fiber (CNTF). The thermal properties of carbon nanotube samples are measured by using the transient electro-thermal (TET) technique, and the experimental phenomena are analyzed based on [...] Read more.
This work documents the annealing effect on the thermal conductivity of nanotube film (CNTB) and carbon nanotube fiber (CNTF). The thermal properties of carbon nanotube samples are measured by using the transient electro-thermal (TET) technique, and the experimental phenomena are analyzed based on numerical simulation. During the current annealing treatment, CNTB1 always maintains the negative temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR), and its thermal diffusivity increases gradually. When the annealing current is 200 mA, it increases by 33.62%. However, with the increase of annealing current, the TCR of CNTB2 changes from positive to negative. The disparity between CNTB2 and CNTB1 suggests that they have different physical properties and even structures along their lengths. The high-level thermal diffusivity of CNTB2 and CNTF are 2.28–2.46 times and 1.65–3.85 times higher than the lower one. The results show that the decrease of the thermal diffusivity for CNTB2 and CNTF is mainly caused by enhanced Umklapp scattering, the high thermal resistance and torsional sliding during high temperature heating. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Transport at the Micro/Nanoscale)
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Review

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10 pages, 5381 KiB  
Review
Thermal Transport in Extremely Confined Metallic Nanostructures: TET Characterization
by Huan Lin, Fuhua Shen, Jinbo Xu, Lijun Zhang, Shen Xu, Na Liu and Siyi Luo
Nanomaterials 2023, 13(1), 140; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano13010140 - 27 Dec 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1159
Abstract
In recent years, the continuous development of electronic chips and the increasing integration of devices have led to extensive research on the thermal properties of ultrathin metallic materials. In particular, accurate characterization of their thermal transport properties has become a research hotspot. In [...] Read more.
In recent years, the continuous development of electronic chips and the increasing integration of devices have led to extensive research on the thermal properties of ultrathin metallic materials. In particular, accurate characterization of their thermal transport properties has become a research hotspot. In this paper, we review the characterization methods of metallic nanomaterials, focusing on the principles of the transient electrothermal (TET) technique and the differential TET technique. By using the differential TET technique, the thermal conductivity, electrical conductivity, and Lorenz number of extremely confined metallic nanostructures can be characterized with high measurement accuracy. At present, we are limited by the availability of existing coating machines that determine the thickness of the metal films, but this is not due to the measurement technology itself. If a material with a smaller diameter and lower thermal conductivity is used as the substrate, much thinner nanostructures can be characterized. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Transport at the Micro/Nanoscale)
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32 pages, 4410 KiB  
Review
Thermal Transport in 2D Materials
by Mohammad Hassan Kalantari and Xian Zhang
Nanomaterials 2023, 13(1), 117; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano13010117 - 26 Dec 2022
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 5400
Abstract
In recent decades, two-dimensional materials (2D) such as graphene, black and blue phosphorenes, transition metal dichalcogenides (e.g., WS2 and MoS2), and h-BN have received illustrious consideration due to their promising properties. Increasingly, nanomaterial thermal properties have become a topic of [...] Read more.
In recent decades, two-dimensional materials (2D) such as graphene, black and blue phosphorenes, transition metal dichalcogenides (e.g., WS2 and MoS2), and h-BN have received illustrious consideration due to their promising properties. Increasingly, nanomaterial thermal properties have become a topic of research. Since nanodevices have to constantly be further miniaturized, thermal dissipation at the nanoscale has become one of the key issues in the nanotechnology field. Different techniques have been developed to measure the thermal conductivity of nanomaterials. A brief review of 2D material developments, thermal conductivity concepts, simulation methods, and recent research in heat conduction measurements is presented. Finally, recent research progress is summarized in this article. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Transport at the Micro/Nanoscale)
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11 pages, 1567 KiB  
Review
Review of Photothermal Technique for Thermal Measurement of Micro-/Nanomaterials
by Jianjun Zhou, Shen Xu and Jing Liu
Nanomaterials 2022, 12(11), 1884; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano12111884 - 31 May 2022
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 1997
Abstract
The extremely small size of micro-/nanomaterials limits the application of conventional thermal measurement methods using a contact heating source or probing sensor. Therefore, non-contact thermal measurement methods are preferable in micro-/nanoscale thermal characterization. In this review, one of the non-contact thermal measurement methods, [...] Read more.
The extremely small size of micro-/nanomaterials limits the application of conventional thermal measurement methods using a contact heating source or probing sensor. Therefore, non-contact thermal measurement methods are preferable in micro-/nanoscale thermal characterization. In this review, one of the non-contact thermal measurement methods, photothermal (PT) technique based on thermal radiation, is introduced. When subjected to laser heating with controllable modulation frequencies, surface thermal radiation carries fruitful information for thermal property determination. As thermal properties are closely related to the internal structure of materials, for micro-/nanomaterials, PT technique can measure not only thermal properties but also features in the micro-/nanostructure. Practical applications of PT technique in the thermal measurement of micro-/nanomaterials are then reviewed, including special wall-structure investigation in multiwall carbon nanotubes, porosity determination in nanomaterial assemblies, and the observation of amorphous/crystalline structure transformation in proteins in heat treatment. Furthermore, the limitations and future application extensions are discussed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Transport at the Micro/Nanoscale)
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19 pages, 50954 KiB  
Review
Methods for Measuring Thermal Conductivity of Two-Dimensional Materials: A Review
by Huanyu Dai and Ridong Wang
Nanomaterials 2022, 12(4), 589; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano12040589 - 9 Feb 2022
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 4168
Abstract
Two-dimensional (2D) materials are widely used in microelectronic devices due to their excellent optical, electrical, and mechanical properties. The performance and reliability of microelectronic devices based 2D materials are affected by heat dissipation performance, which can be evaluated by studying the thermal conductivity [...] Read more.
Two-dimensional (2D) materials are widely used in microelectronic devices due to their excellent optical, electrical, and mechanical properties. The performance and reliability of microelectronic devices based 2D materials are affected by heat dissipation performance, which can be evaluated by studying the thermal conductivity of 2D materials. Currently, many theoretical and experimental methods have been developed to characterize the thermal conductivity of 2D materials. In this paper, firstly, typical theoretical methods, such as molecular dynamics, phonon Boltzmann transport equation, and atomic Green’s function method, are introduced and compared. Then, experimental methods, such as suspended micro-bridge, 3ω, time-domain thermal reflectance and Raman methods, are systematically and critically reviewed. In addition, the physical factors affecting the thermal conductivity of 2D materials are discussed. At last, future prospects for both theoretical and experimental thermal conductivity characterization of 2D materials is given. This paper provides an in-depth understanding of the existing thermal conductivity measurement methods of 2D materials, which has guiding significance for the application of 2D materials in micro/nanodevices. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Transport at the Micro/Nanoscale)
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9 pages, 2120 KiB  
Review
Review on Techniques for Thermal Characterization of Graphene and Related 2D Materials
by Jing Liu, Pei Li and Hongsheng Zheng
Nanomaterials 2021, 11(11), 2787; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano11112787 - 21 Oct 2021
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2121
Abstract
The discovery of graphene and its analog, such as MoS2, has boosted research. The thermal transport in 2D materials gains much of the interest, especially when graphene has high thermal conductivity. However, the thermal properties of 2D materials obtained from experiments have [...] Read more.
The discovery of graphene and its analog, such as MoS2, has boosted research. The thermal transport in 2D materials gains much of the interest, especially when graphene has high thermal conductivity. However, the thermal properties of 2D materials obtained from experiments have large discrepancies. For example, the thermal conductivity of single layer suspended graphene obtained by experiments spans over a large range: 1100–5000 W/m·K. Apart from the different graphene quality in experiments, the thermal characterization methods play an important role in the observed large deviation of experimental data. Here we provide a critical review of the widely used thermal characterization techniques: the optothermal Raman technique and the micro-bridge method. The critical issues in the two methods are carefully revised and discussed in great depth. Furthermore, improvements in Raman-based techniques to investigate the energy transport in 2D materials are discussed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Transport at the Micro/Nanoscale)
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