Manipulating the interlayer thermal conductivity in circular/collapsed carbon nanotube clusters

Abstract

Abstract In this study, we systematically investigate the interlayer thermal properties of circular/collapsed carbon nanotube (CNT) clusters using non-equilibrium molecular dynamics simulations. The effects of circular/collapsed state, tube diameter, layer number, and temperature are explored. The results show that the interlayer thermal conductivity in both circular and collapsed CNT clusters increases with increasing tube diameter. However, the interlayer thermal conductivity is notably lower in the collapsed state, primarily due to reduced sample length. Furthermore, the layer number within the cluster significantly affects interlayer thermal conductivity. The temperature has a pronounced effect on circular CNT cluster, where higher temperatures reduce interlayer thermal conductivity, while collapsed CNT cluster remains insensitive to temperature changes. These findings have implications for thermal management and control in CNT cluster-based nanodevices, particularly in thermoelectric applications.