Scaling behavior of the thermal conductivity of width-modulated nanowires and nanofilms for heat transfer control at the nanoscale.

We report on scaling behavior of the thermal conductivity of width-modulated nanowires and nanofilms that have been studied with the phonon Monte Carlo technique. It has been found that the reduction of the thermal conductivity scales with the nanostructure transmissivity, a property entirely determined by the modulation geometry, irrespectively of the material choice. Tuning of the thermal conductivity is possible by the nanostructure width-modulation without strict limitations for the modulation profile. In addition, a very significant constriction thermal resistance due to width-discontinuity has been identified, in analogy to the contact thermal resistance between two dissimilar materials. The constriction thermal resistance also scales with the modulated nanostructure transmissivity. Our conclusions are generic indicating that a wide range of materials can be used for the modulated nanostructures. Direct heat flow control can be provided by designing the nanostructure width-modulation.