Optimized Design of Composite Materials for Heat Transport Applications
Careful design of composite materials offers a chance for engineering phonon band gaps and controlling phonon scattering. Taking advantage of this strategy, we study properties of SiC composite materials for engineering applications in which the control of thermal transport is important. In particular, knowledge of the individual contributions of phonons on thermal transport provides us the necessary information to focus on most significant phonon frequencies. In our study, we select a series of candidate model geometries and use a virtual testing method for elevated temperatures to support the design process. Integrating atomistic non-equilibrium molecular dynamics simulations to determine thermal conductivity we provide a proof-of-concept study and deliver best design scenarios of SiC composite materials with very low-thermal conductivity.