Mean Free Path Suppression of Low-Frequency Phonons in SiGe Nanowires.

Accurate measurements of the size-dependent lattice thermal conductivity (κl) of alloy nanostructures are challenging but help to address outstanding questions on the effects of atomic disorder and surface roughness on low-frequency vibrational modes in functional materials. Here, we report sensitive κl measurements of multiple segments of the same individual SiGe nanowires. In contrast to a previous report of ballistic thermal transport over several microns in SiGe nanowires, the obtained κl are nearly independent of the segment length from 2 to 10 µm and the temperature between 150 and 300 K. The results are in agreement with a theoretical calculation based on the virtual crystal approximation of the vibrational modes as phonons with mean free paths suppressed by purely diffuse surface scattering. The findings inform continuing theoretical efforts for understanding the roles of different types of vibrational modes in thermal transport in disordered thermoelectric and electronic materials.

Modifying the thermal conductivity of small molecule organic semiconductor thin films with metal nanoparticles.

Thermal properties of organic semiconductors play a significant role in the performance and lifetime of organic electronic devices, especially for scaled-up large area applications. Here we employ silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) to modify the thermal conductivity of the small molecule organic semiconductor, dinaphtho[2,3-b:2',3'-f]thieno[3,2-b]thiophene (DNTT). The differential 3-ω method was used to measure the thermal conductivity of Ag-DNTT hybrid thin films. We find that the thermal conductivity of pure DNTT thin films do not vary with the deposition temperature over a range spanning 24 °C to 80 °C. The thermal conductivity of the Ag-DNTT hybrid thin film initially decreases and then increases when the Ag volume fraction increases from 0% to 32%. By applying the effective medium approximation to fit the experimental results of thermal conductivity, the extracted thermal boundary resistance of the Ag-DNTT interface is 1.14 ± 0.98 × 10(-7) m(2)-K/W. Finite element simulations of thermal conductivity for realistic film morphologies show good agreement with experimental results and effective medium approximations.

Microsecond-sustained lasing from colloidal quantum dot solids.

Colloidal quantum dots have grown in interest as materials for light amplification and lasing in view of their bright photoluminescence, convenient solution processing and size-controlled spectral tunability. To date, lasing in colloidal quantum dot solids has been limited to the nanosecond temporal regime, curtailing their application in systems that require more sustained emission. Here we find that the chief cause of nanosecond-only operation has been thermal runaway: the combination of rapid heat injection from the pump source, poor heat removal and a highly temperature-dependent threshold. We show microsecond-sustained lasing, achieved by placing ultra-compact colloidal quantum dot films on a thermally conductive substrate, the combination of which minimizes heat accumulation. Specifically, we employ inorganic-halide-capped quantum dots that exhibit high modal gain (1,200 cm(-1)) and an ultralow amplified spontaneous emission threshold (average peak power of ∼50 kW cm(-2)) and rely on an optical structure that dissipates heat while offering minimal modal loss.