Elastic stiffening induces one-dimensional phonons in thin Ta 2Se3 nanowires selected as VINSE Spotlight Publication
About the author: Zhiliang Pan is currently a Ph.D. candidate in Mechanical Engineering Department advised by Dr. Deyu Li. Zhiliang’s research focuses on nanoscale heat transfer in low dimensional materials and complex structures. In the recently published work, Zhiliang carried out systematic thermal property measurements on thin Ta2Se3 nanowires. Results indicate signatures of one-dimensional phonons as the nanowire hydraulic diameter reduces below 19.2 nm with linearly escalating thermal conductivity with temperature increasing and the size dependence inconsistent with the classical size effect. Further investigation indicates these unusual transport properties are induced by elastic stiffening occurring for wires of <30 nm diameter. These observations provide new evidence and insights into understanding the newly experimentally verified superdiffusive phonon transport.