Heat transport across a SiGe nanowire axial junction: Interface thermal resistance and thermal rectification

We study thermal transport in SiGe nanowires by means of nonequilibrium molecular dynamics simulations. We calculate the axial interface thermal resistance (ITR) of realistic models of SiGe nanowires that are obtained in different experimental conditions. We study thermal rectification, finding that heat transport from Si to Ge is favored, particularly in sharp junctions, and that this behavior can be explained in terms of the different temperature dependence of the thermal conductivity of the pristine nanowires. © 2014 American Physical Society.