Phonon hydrodynamics and ultrahigh–room-temperature thermal conductivity in thin graphite

Abstract

Thin graphite gets cool fast In nonmetallic solids, heat is transported primarily through crystal vibrations called phonons. These phonons can have wavelike properties under certain conditions, which increases the thermal conductivity of the material. Machida et al. found that making graphite samples thin expands the hydrodynamic regime from cryogenic to room temperatures. The researchers measured an extremely high thermal conductivity in the very thin graphite samples, which may be important for a variety of electronics applications. Science , this issue p. 309