Search for: All records

Abstract In nonmetallic crystals, heat is transported by phonons of different frequencies, each contributing differently to the overall heat flux spectrum. In this study, we demonstrate a significant redistribution of heat flux among phonon frequencies when phonons transmit across the interface between dissimilar solids. This redistribution arises from the natural tendency of phononic heat to re-establish the bulk distribution characteristic of the material through which it propagates. Remarkably, while the heat flux spectra of dissimilar solids are typically distinct in their bulk forms, they can become nearly identical in superlattices or sandwich structures where the layer thicknesses are smaller than the phonon mean free paths. This phenomenon reflects that the redistribution of heat among phonon frequencies to the bulk distribution does not occur instantaneously at the interface, rather it develops over a distance on the order of phonon mean-free-paths. 

The Anderson localization of phonons in disordered superlattices has been proposed as a route to suppress thermal conductivity beyond the limits imposed by conventional scattering mechanisms. A commonly used signature of phonon localization is the emergence of the nonmonotonic dependence of thermal conductivity κ on system length L, i.e., a κ-L maximum. However, such behavior has rarely been observed. In this work, we conduct extensive non-equilibrium molecular dynamics (NEMD) simulations, using the LAMMPS package, on both periodic superlattices (SLs) and aperiodic random multilayers (RMLs) constructed from Si/Ge and Lennard-Jones materials. By systematically varying acoustic contrast, interatomic bond strength, and average layer thickness, we examine the interplay between coherent and incoherent phonon transport in these systems. Our two-phonon model decomposition reveals that coherent phonons alone consistently exhibit a strong nonmonotonic κ-L. This localization signature is often masked by the diffusive, monotonically increasing contribution from incoherent phonons. We further extract the ballistic-limit mean free paths for both phonon types, and demonstrate that incoherent transport often dominates, thereby concealing localization effects. Our findings highlight the importance of decoupling coherent and incoherent phonon contributions in both simulations and experiments. This work provides new insights and design principles for achieving phonon Anderson localization in superlattice structures. 

Superlattices are a distinctive class of artificial nanostructures formed by the periodic stacking of two or more materials. The high density of interfaces in these structures often gives rise to exotic physical properties. In the context of thermal transport, it is well established that such interfaces can significantly scatter particle-like phonons while also inducing constructive or destructive interference in wave-like phonons, depending on the relationship between the phonons’ coherence lengths and the superlattice’s period thickness. In this work, we systematically investigate the effect of temperature on the spectral energy density of phonon modes in superlattices. Additionally, we examine how variations in superlattice period thickness influence phonon lifetimes and energy density. Our findings provide critical insights into the spectral phonon properties of superlattices, particularly in terms of their coherence and lifetimes. 

Twinning is a major mechanism of plastic deformation in hexagonal close-packed (hcp) structures. However, a mechanistic understanding of twin nucleation and growth has yet to be established. This paper reviews the recent progress in the understanding of twinning in hcp materials—particularly the newly discovered phase transformation-mediated twinning mechanisms—in terms of crystallographical analysis, theoretical mechanics calculations, and numerical simulations. Moreover, the relationship between phase transformation-mediated twinning mechanisms and twinning dislocations are presented, forming a unified understanding of deformation twinning. Finally, this paper also reviews the recent studies on transformation twins that are formed in hcp martensite microstructures after various phase transformations, highlighting the critical role of the mechanical loading in engineering a transformation twin microstructure.