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Heat transfer across the interface between nanoscale solids and gas
Chun Cheng1, Wen Fan, Jinbo Cao
1Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, United States.
ACS Nano
|November 11, 2011
Summary
Heat transfer from nanoscale solids to gas differs significantly from larger objects. Nanowire heat dissipation is pressure-dependent and higher than predicted, revealing a general scaling law for nanodevices.
Area of Science:
- Physics
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Heat transfer becomes critical for miniaturized solid materials and devices.
- Nanoscale heat dissipation differs significantly from macroscopic systems.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the heat transfer coefficient at the solid-gas interface for nanoscale objects.
- To understand the pressure dependence and behavior of heat dissipation from nanowires.
Main Methods:
- Utilized laser thermography to measure heat transfer from a single vanadium dioxide (VO2) nanowire.
- Employed the metal-insulator phase transition domain structure of VO2 as a nanoscale thermometer and power meter.
Main Results:
- Observed a strong pressure dependence of the heat transfer coefficient above ~10 Torr.
- Found higher-than-predicted heat transfer coefficients at lower pressures compared to kinetic gas theory.
- Quantified heat loss across the nanowire-air interface, dominating other dissipation channels for small-diameter nanowires.
Conclusions:
- Established a general scaling relationship for gaseous heat dissipation from nanostructures.
- The findings are applicable to nanoscale electronic and thermal devices operating in gaseous environments.
- Heat transfer behavior at the solid-gas interface is largely independent of the solid material's chemical identity.
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