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Updated: Aug 10, 2026
04:57
Residue-Free Fabrication of van der Waals Heterostructures of Two-Dimensional Materials
Published on: July 18, 2025
Counterintuitive Temperature-Dependent Interfacial Thermal Resistance in Twisted van der Waals Interfaces
Mengjie Li1, Wenwu Jiang2, Huasong Qin3
1Department of Engineering Mechanics, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an710072, China.
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
|August 9, 2026
Summary
We discovered that twisting layered materials like PtX2 can surprisingly reverse interfacial thermal resistance (ITR) with temperature changes. This twist-temperature control offers a new way to manage heat in van der Waals devices.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Precise control of interfacial thermal resistance (ITR) is crucial for effective thermal management in van der Waals (vdW) devices.
- Understanding how temperature influences ITR at interfaces is key to optimizing device performance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the counterintuitive temperature-dependent behavior of ITR in twisted van der Waals heterostructures.
- To explore the underlying mechanisms governing this thermal resistance reversal.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication and characterization of twisted PtX2 (X = S, Se, Te) interfaces.
- Experimental measurement of interfacial thermal resistance at varying temperatures.
- Computational analysis using spectral energy density and spectral heat current.
Main Results:
- A temperature-dependent reversal of ITR was observed in twisted PtX2 interfaces.
- At small twist angles, elevated temperatures increased ITR by enhancing anharmonic scattering and suppressing phonon transmission.
- At large twist angles, elevated temperatures decreased ITR by activating inelastic vibrational pathways.
Conclusions:
- The observed ITR reversal is attributed to a dynamic competition between direct phonon transmission and inelastic scattering pathways.
- This phenomenon is not limited to PtX2 and is applicable to other vdW materials like graphene and MoS2.
- Co-regulation of twist angle and temperature provides an effective strategy for tailoring interfacial thermal transport in vdW materials.
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