A series circuit of thermal rectifiers: an effective way to enhance rectification ratio

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that connecting multiple thermal rectifiers in series within asymmetric graphene/GPnC structures significantly enhances the rectification ratio, with simulations exploring size effects on performance.

Contribution

It introduces a series circuit approach for thermal rectifiers in graphene-based structures, improving rectification ratio beyond previous single-rectifier designs.

Findings

Series circuit improves rectification ratio significantly

Size effects influence thermal rectification performance

Simulations confirm effectiveness of the series configuration

Abstract

The low rectification ratio limits the application of thermal rectifiers. In this paper, it is found that a series circuit of thermal rectifiers in asymmetric graphene/graphene phononic crystal (GPnC) structures can improve rectification significantly. The simulations by using non-equilibrium molecular dynamics (NEMD) are performed. Moreover, the size effect on thermal rectification is also studied and discussed.