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This article shows experimentally that an external electric field affects the velocity of the longitudinal acoustic phonons (vLA), thermal conductivity (κ), and diffusivity (D) in a bulk lead zirconium titanate–based ferroelectric. Phonon conduction dominates κ, and the observations are due to changes in the phonon dispersion, not in the phonon scattering. This gives insight into the nature of the thermal fluctuations in ferroelectrics, namely, phonons labeled ferrons that carry heat and polarization. It also opens the way for phonon-based electrically driven all-solid-state heat switches, an enabling technology for solid-state heat engines. A quantitative theoretical model combining piezoelectric strain and phonon anharmonicity explains the field dependence ofvLA, κ, andDwithout any adjustable parameters, thus connecting thermodynamic equilibrium properties with transport properties. The effect is four times larger than previously reported effects, which were ascribed to field-dependent scattering of phonons.
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This content will become publicly available on April 1, 2026
Point Defects Enhance Cross‐Plane Thermal Conductivity In Graphite
Abstract Point defects typically reduce the thermal conductivity (κ) of a crystal due to increased scattering of heat‐carrying phonons, a mechanism that is well understood and widely used to enhance or impede heat transfer in the material for different applications. Here an opposite effect is reported where the introduction of point defects in graphite with energetic particle irradiation increases its cross‐planeκby nearly a factor of two, from 10.8 to 18.9 W m K−1at room temperature. Integrated differential phase contrast imaging with scanning transmission electron microscopy revealed the creation of spiro interstitials in graphite by the irradiation. The enhancement inκis attributed to a remarkable mechanism that works to the benefit of phonon propagation in both the harmonic and anharmonic terms: these spiro interstitial defects covalently bridge neighboring basal planes, simultaneously enhancing acoustic phonon group velocity and reducing phonon–phonon scattering in the graphite structure. The enhancement ofκreveals an unconventional role of lattice defects in heat conduction, i.e., easing the propagation of heat‐carrying phonons rather than impeding them in layered materials, inspiring their applications for thermal management in heavily radiative environments.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2140304
- PAR ID:
- 10598522
- Publisher / Repository:
- Wiley
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Advanced Materials
- Volume:
- 37
- Issue:
- 14
- ISSN:
- 0935-9648
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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