CAREER: Mesoscopic Thermal and Thermoelectric Transport in Low Dimensional Materials

哥伦比亚大学学院早期职业发展(CALEAR)项目的目标是研究纳米材料的介观热和热电传输特性。在这项研究中，我们将利用基于微细加工、微电子机械系统技术和热成像扫描探针显微镜的创新实验技术，在量子输运极限下探索这些材料中的新物理现象。具体地说，将使用专门设计的亚微米级设备在碳纳米管和各种纳米线中测量电导、热导和热电功率。这一研究将在介观尺度上揭示量子力学和热力学的可逆和不可逆输运过程之间的关系。此外，拟议的研究将有助于探索纳米材料在量子输运体系中的热电应用。这项建议的教育部分旨在加强研究和教育方面的协同效应。特别是，计划在基于互联网交流的网页的帮助下，为当地高中理科班建立一个互动的物理示范实验室。这项活动旨在培养当地未被充分代表的学生群体对科学和技术的兴趣。尽管人们对纳米尺度系统中的电传输进行了广泛的研究，但对热和热电传输的研究却受到了较少的关注。哥伦比亚大学学院早期职业发展项目的目标是探索低维材料中新的热传输和热电现象，特别是当携带能量的粒子的量子力学相干长度与样品尺寸相当时。这项研究将揭示纳米材料中量子力学和热力学的可逆和不可逆输运过程之间的关系。此外，低维纳米材料独特的热电性能使其有可能取代百年前的制冷和发电技术。这项提议旨在寻找这些材料在热电制冷和发电方面的应用，为使用纳米科学的未来清洁能源技术奠定基础。该提案的教育部分强调当地高中和本科科学教育的互动式综合教育/研究计划。拟议的基于互联网的计划将促进学生对科学的理解，也将有助于鼓励代表不足的群体参与科技进步。

The goal of this Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) project at Columbia University is to investigate mesoscopic thermal and thermoelectrical transport properties in nanoscale materials. In this research, innovative experimental techniques based on microfabrication, microelectromechanical systems techniques, and thermal imaging scanning probe microscopy will be employed to explore new physical phenomena in these materials at quantum transport limit. Specifically, electrical conductance, thermal conductance, and thermoelectric power will be measured in carbon nanotubes and various nanowires using specially designed submicron scale devices. This investigation will unveil the relationship between reversible and irreversible transport processes of quantum mechanics and thermodynamics at mesoscopic scales. In addition, the proposed research will help to search for thermoelectric applications of nanoscale materials in the quantum transport regime. The educational component of this proposal is intended to enhance synergetic effects in both research and education. In particular, an interactive physics demonstration laboratory for local high school science class with the aid of the web page based internet communications is planned. This activity is designed to foster interests of local underrepresented student group in science and technology.Although the electrical transport in nanometer scaled systems has been studied extensively, the investigation of the thermal and thermoelectric transport has received much less attention. The goal of this Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) project at Columbia University is to explore new thermal transport and thermoelectric phenomena in low-dimensional materials, particularly when the quantum mechanical coherence length of the energy-carrying particles is comparable to the sample dimensions. This investigation will unveil the relationship between reversible and irreversible transport processes of quantum mechanics and thermodynamics in nanometer scaled materials. Furthermore, the unique thermoelectric properties of the low-dimensional nanometer scaled materials make them potential candidates for replacing century old technologies of refrigeration and electricity generation. This proposal seeks to find applications of these materials for thermoelectric cooling and generation, which lays the bases for a clean future energy technology using nanoscience. The educational component of this proposal emphasizes interactively integrated educational/research programs for local high school and undergraduate science education. The proposed internet based program will promote understanding of science among students, and also will help to encourage the participation of underrepresented groups in science and technology progress.